The Fish Cake
Black Cod Cakes with Cilantro, Scallions, and Tomato Salad
After a celebratory fish dinner, it feels very smart the next day to envelop any extra odds and ends in a delicious potato patty. In truth, fish cakes took hold in my household because when my kids were small, they were much more willing to eat fish in patty form than in fillets. It turned out that my potato-mad husband loved them, too. Now that we aren’t feeding toddlers anymore, I like to smarten up the patties with a sharp tomato salad and a good handful of cilantro.
A note about preparation: the potatoes should be quite dry before mixing up the fish cakes—if they are a little moist and weepy, place them in a nonstick pan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes to remove extra water.
Extra ingredients: cooked fish, cooked potatoes
Time: 20 minutes (20 minutes active)
Makes 2 main course servings or 4 appetizer servings
TOMATO SALAD
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons finely minced red onion
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
FISH CAKES
2 cups mashed potatoes (about 4 medium, preferably medium-waxy potatoes like Yellow Finn)
1 cup (about 5 ounces) flaked cooked black cod, salmon, tuna, or halibut
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
2 scallions, white and dark green parts only, chopped
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of Aleppo pepper
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
1 cup unseasoned dry breadcrumbs, cracker crumbs, or panko
Ghee or neutral oil, to sauté
1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve
1. To make the tomato salad, in a medium bowl, combine the lime juice, onion, and a pinch of salt. Let sit for 10 minutes. Whisk in the olive oil, then gently fold in the tomatoes. Stir in the cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let sit while making the fish cakes.
2. Place the potatoes, fish, butter, and 1 egg in a large bowl and gently fold together. Season with the cilantro, scallions, black pepper, Aleppo pepper, salt, and lime zest. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt or pepper. Scoop the mixture into four even balls (about a heaping ½ cup each) and shape each into a patty.
3. Crack the remaining egg into a shallow bowl and whisk with 2 tablespoons water. Place the breadcrumbs on a plate and season with salt and pepper. Dip a fish cake first into the egg and then into the breadcrumbs, pressing firmly to shape the cake and to help crumbs adhere to all sides. Set aside and repeat with the remaining fish cakes.
4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add about 1 teaspoon ghee and spread it around the pan. Working in batches if needed, cook the patties, browning on one side, about 3 minutes, then flipping and browning the other side.
5. Serve the fish cakes with the tomato salad and lime wedges.
VARIATIONS
- Change the seafood. Most fish work well in fish cakes, though slightly oilier fish are preferable to leaner fish such as sole. Chopped shrimp or tiny bay shrimp are also an option.
- Change the accent. Fresh parsley, basil, dill, shiso, and/or tarragon all work well in fish cakes.
- Make it vegetarian. You can also swap in any number of finely chopped cooked vegetables—from peas to roasted carrots to braised greens—in place of the fish. Squeeze watery vegetables (such as greens) to remove extra moisture, fold with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then mix into the potato mixture.