Recipe and images from Coastal: Deborah Hide-Bayne | Words: Vicki Ravlich-Horan
Fish cakes … such a good idea. These ones are inspired by an Ottolenghi recipe (with a Kiwi twist). If you fillet your own fish you will usually have a few smaller pieces. This warming recipe creates another meal out of those pieces and your whole family will love them.
Makes about 16 cakes
3 slices wholemeal bread
400g snapper
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
handful fresh parsley
1–2 stalks fresh tarragon
1–2 stalks fresh mint
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 eggs
salt and freshly-ground pepper
glug olive oil
Blitz the slices of bread up into breadcrumbs using a food processor, or finely chop them. Very finely chop the onion and crush the garlic. Chop the herbs.
Cut the fish into small pieces and put all the ingredients (except the oil) into a bowl. Stir well and then using your hands form the mixture into balls, which you can then flatten into cakes which should end up about 1.5cm thick. Put them on a baking tray in the fridge to firm up for 15 minutes or so.
Shallow fry the cakes in the olive oil. You want the cakes to be golden brown on the outside and cooked all the way through. (You may need to sacrifice one in order to double check this.)
Note: You could serve the cakes with couscous or rice and a savoury tomato sauce. If you are going to do this, you can partially cook the cakes in the tomato sauce. Make a fairly liquid tomato sauce in a shallow wide cooking pot or frying pan, and once you feel the cakes are well-browned, put them into the sauce, cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the sauce is well-reduced and the cakes are hot.
COASTAL | Deborah Hide-Bayne
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