SMOKED HADDOCK FISHCAKES (makes 6-7)
Ingredients :
200g smoked haddock (in fact, any fish of your choice would be fine)
200g unsmoked haddock
1 tsp olive oil
400g floury mashing potatoes such as Maris Piper
200g lightly toasted breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
50g finely chopped parsley
zest of half a lemon
a pinch of cayenne pepper
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
sunflower oil, for frying.
Method :
1. Line a shallow baking tray with foil and then place the fish fillets on it. Rub the fish with a little olive oil and then place under a hot grill for five minutes or until just cooked. Remove any skin and bones from the fish before placing in a bowl and covering with clingfilm. Set the fish aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, peel and roughly dice the potatoes and then cook in salted boiling water until a knife passes through them easily. Drain the potatoes and then return to the still warm pan. Leave to dry a little before mashing with a little sea salt & freshly ground black pepper. Place the mashed potato in a covered bowl and leave to cool.
3. Once the potato has cooled to room temperature, combine it with the lemon zest, parsley and cayenne pepper in a large bowl. Check the seasoning (but be careful with salt, as it is worth remembering that the fish will be quite salty), lightly fork the fish through the mix and put the whole lot in the fridge to chill for at least one hour.
4. Now for the fun part. Place the beaten egg into a shallow bowl and the breadcrumbs onto a shallow baking tray. Place a sheet of greaseproof paper onto your work surface and dust well with plain flour.
5. Take the fishcake mixture from the fridge and form into one mass - flouring your hands beforehand helps keep things clean. Place the mixture onto the floured paper and roll to 1.5cm thick with a floured rolling pin. Cut out rounds from the mixture using a large scone or cookie cutter.
6. Make sure that the rounds are coated with flour on the top, bottom and around the edge and set aside until all of the mixture has been formed. You will need to re-form the fishcake mixture and re-roll as needed.
7. Once all of the mixture has been formed into cakes, take them one by one, dipping first into the egg and then rolling in the breadcrumbs until all surfaces and edges are covered. A good way to keep things clean as you panné is to use one hand for the egg dipping and the other hand for the breadcrumbing. Place the coated fishcakes onto a baking sheet covered with another sheet of greaseproof. The fishcakes can be made well ahead of cooking and then left in the fridge until needed.
8. Cook the fishcakes in sunflower oil in large frying pan for about five minutes on each side. Think shallow frying - the oil should be around half a centimetre deep. Take care not to crowd the pan by frying the cakes in batches of two or three at a time. Serve with your choice of salad or chips or both!
From http://jennyeatwellsrhubarbginger.blogspot.com