We recently introduced you to Cornersmith’s amazing new book Use It All: The Cornersmith guide to a more sustainable kitchen and we’re delighted to share this fish cakes recipe from the book. They are aptly delightful!
This is the kind of recipe where you can throw in anything you have leftover in the crisper and it will all just work. Though I highly advise making them exactly as stated here so you don’t miss out on the awesomeness that is Cornersmith’s fish cakes, and no other.
These fish cakes are really nice on a roll with some lettuce and grated carrot – perfect for the lunch box. I have also made them smaller so they dip beautifully into things like aoli, mayo or sweet chilli sauce. Experiment and see where they take you. Hopefully onto an imaginary Thai island somewhere with a really good book to read. That book would be Use It All, of course. 😉
Ooh, don’t miss Cornersmith’s sausage rolls too!
Fish cakes
Recipe, image and words from Use It All by Alex Elliott-Howery and Jaimee Edwards
Whole-food cook Jude Blereau’s cookbooks taught us how to make fritters and fish cakes when our kids were little, and they’ve been a family favourite ever since. This is our version using left-over fish and whatever vegetables and herbs are hanging around in the fridge. If you’ve got left-over mash, it all comes together in a matter of minutes.
Makes 8
Takes about 35 minutes
400 g (14 oz) cooked potatoes or sweet potatoes
Splash of full-cream (whole) milk
salt
¾ cup (75 g) thinly sliced crunchy vegetables
spring onions (scallions)
sweetcorn kernels
celery
fennel
Small handful of finely chopped herbs
dill
parsley
fennel fronds
celery leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
Zest of 1 lemon or lime
Freshly cracked black pepper
300 g (10½ oz) left-over flaked baked fish (page 48)
1 egg
1 cup (100 g) stale breadcrumbs
100 ml (3½ fl oz) good-quality vegetable oil such as sunflower or rice-bran oil
In a large bowl, mash the potatoes with the milk and a pinch of salt. Add the thinly sliced vegetables, along with the herbs, garlic and lemon or lime zest. Season with salt and pepper and combine well with a fork, then stir through the flaked fish, being careful not to break it up too much, which can make the mixture gluey.
Divide the mixture into eight fish cakes. Whisk the egg in a shallow bowl and tip the breadcrumbs into another shallow bowl. Dip each fish cake in the egg and then coat in the breadcrumbs.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium–low heat. Fry the fish cakes in batches for 3–4 minutes each side until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towel and serve with a crunchy slaw (find the recipe in the book) and condiments, such as toum (also in the book), aioli or hot sauce.
Will you make these fish cakes, do you think?
Images and text from Use It All by Alex Elliott-Howery and Jaimee Edwards, photography by Cath Muscat. Murdoch Books RRP $39.99.