Mommy gave me a bag of potatoes, and I wanted to make something other than mash with it. Canned salmon was sitting in the cupboard for a while, so why not combine these 2 ingredients and make something yummy out of them?

Fishcakes crossed my mind, but it had to be a recipe that included potatoes. I combed YouTube until I found one, and saw so many methods of preparation that only included either tinned or natural salmon but no spuds. Finally, I came across the version that was closest to what I had in my brain – a recipe by Nigella Lawson.

The fish cakes came out delicious and were fun to make. My little one loved them, which in the end, is the most important thing.

For the Fish Cakes

2 cups cold mashed potatoes

14 ounces tinned salmon (preferably organic)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (melted – if the mashed potato hasn’t got any butter in it)

1 fat pinch of cayenne pepper

grated zest of ½ lemon

salt

pepper

1 large egg

For Coating and Frying

2 large eggs

Matzo meal (preferably medium) or breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

 

Method

1. In a large bowl, and preferably with your hands, mix together all the fishcake ingredients.
2. Cover a baking sheet with clingfilm, plunge your hands back into the mixture and form fat, palm-sized patties. Place these on the baking sheet and stand in the fridge to firm up for about 20 minutes to an hour – or considerably longer if that helps.
3. Beat the eggs in a shallow soup bowl and sprinkle the matzo meal/breadcrumbs onto a dinner plate. One by one, dip the fishcakes into the beaten egg and then into the matzo meal/breadcrumbs, sprinkling and dredging over as you go to help coat them. When you’re all done, put the butter and oil in a large frying pan, heat till it begins to fizzle and then fry the fishcakes on each side until the crusts are golden, and speckled brown in parts and the soothing centers are warmed through.
4. Serve with a salad or vegetable as a side

 

 

Nigella Lawson’s Method