I’m not a big fan of fast food (apart from a McDonald’s Sausage and Egg McMuffin the morning after good night out, which really counts as medicine, not fast food), but I am a fan of good food you can make fast.
These fish cakes hit the spot not just because they are easy and quick to make but because they taste so good.
Just mash a few potatoes, combine with some smoked haddock poached in a little milk and some chopped up cooked Tiger or King Prawns. Season with black pepper, lemon zest and chives and form into patties. That’s it. Stick them in the fridge until you are ready for them.
You can go one of two ways now.
If you're hungry, just dredge them in seasoned flour and gently shallow fry in sunflower oil until golden brown.
Or if you can wait a little longer, flour, egg wash and coat in panko breadcrumbs mixed with some parmesan cheese.
Now you can gently shallow fry them or if you want to be a bit healthier spray with a little oil and pop in a 180°C/200°C fan oven for about 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
Serve with mayonnaise, lemon wedges and a nice crisp salad.
INGREDIENTS (makes 4 fishcakes but recipe is easily doubled)
250g mashed potato
200g smoked haddock fillet
150ml milk
100g cooked and shelled tiger or king prawns
1 Tbsp snipped fresh chives
Freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
Peel the potatoes, cut into chunks and boil until tender, then drain until dry. While the potatoes are cooking, place the smoked haddock in a pan and cover with the milk. Cover and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave to cook through. Shouldn't take long, only about 5 minutes.
Mash the potatoes with a tablespoon of the fishy milk until smooth and add the smoked haddock in large flakes (check for bones). Chop the cooked prawns, snip the chives, zest a lemon and add these to the potato and fish.
Stir everything together being careful not to mush it all up. You still want some chunks of smoked haddock in there.
Using your hands, shape the mix into 4 fish cakes. If you have time, a short period in the fridge to firm them up will help when you come to coat in breadcrumbs. If you are eating them now, dredge in some seasoned flour, shake off the excess, and fry in sunflower oil. If you have the willpower, let the cakes firm up in the fridge, then dredge in the seasoned flour as before. Coat in some beaten egg then roll in the panko/parmesan breadcrumbs until well covered.
You can fry them now or they will keep in the fridge for a couple of hours until you are ready to eat.