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Smoky Fish Cakes with Minty Peas and Tartare Sauce | DonalSkehan.com, Makes a fantastic light meal or starter.
  • light-meals

Smoky Fish Cakes with Minty Peas and Tartare Sauce

April 12

Fish pie has to be one of my ultimate comfort food dishes but for lighter and brighter days this dish is the perfect solution for those still craving those wonderful flavours.  I coat my fish cakes in a little polenta, which, when fried gives a wonderful golden, crunchy crumb.  These fish cakes are best eaten fresh but if you don’t get through them all, they freeze beautifully.

 

 

  • serves Serves 6
  • time 45 mins

Method

  1. 1. Preheat the oven to 160˚C/325°F/Gas Mark 3.
  2. 2. Place the fish in a roasting tin and pour over the milk and season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven to poach for 15-20 mins. Remove from the oven and flake into chunky pieces and set aside on a plate.
  3. 3. While the fish is cooking, place the potatoes into a pot of cold water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain and place back in the pot and cover with kitchen paper and the lid and set aside.
  4. 4. Fry the spring onions in a frying pan over a medium heat in a little butter until softened. Remove and set aside.
  5. 5. When the potatoes are cool, mash with the lemon zest and season with sea salt and ground black pepper. Gently fold through the fish and spring onions until just combined.
  6. 6. Pour 3-4 tablespoons of polenta onto a plate and using your hands form small palm sized fish cakes. Press the fish cakes into the polenta on all side to coat and set aside the finished fish cakes on a plate. Repeat with the remaining mixture and then cover the fish cakes with cling film and place in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. At this point the fish cakes could also be frozen.
  7. 7. In a small saucepan, cook the peas with a little butter until warmed through, season with sea salt and ground black pepper. Add the mint and then mash roughly. Mix together all the ingredients for the tartare sauce in a bowl and set aside.
  8. 8. Fry the fishcakes in a frying pan with a little oil over a medium high heat for 3-4 minutes on either side until they have a good colour.
  9. 9. Serve the fish cakes with a generous portion of minty peas, a good dollop of tartare sauce and a lemon wedge.

Ingredients

For the fish cakes:

500g of haddock

250g of smoked haddock

600g of potatoes, peeled and cubed

250ml of milk

Zest of 1 lemon

Sea salt and ground black pepper

6 spring onions, roughly chopped

2-3 tbsp of olive oil

Polenta to sprinkle

For the minty peas:

A generous knob of butter

500g of frozen peas

A small handful of mint leaves, finely chopped

For the tartare sauce:

3 tbsp of mayonnaise

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tsp of capers, rinsed and finely chopped

4 cornichons, finely chopped

A small handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

 

You'll Need

Roasting tin

Saucepan

Frying pan