Fish cakes with tartare sauce

Fish cakes with tartare sauce

Make a little fish go a long way with these tasty fishcakes - perfect comfort food

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 25 mins

Cook time

Cook 15 mins

Method

  1. Make the tartare sauce: mix all the ingredients together and chill (you won't need it all; leftovers keep for 3-4 days, covered, in the fridge and enliven any seafood dish).
  2. Preheat the oven to 150C/gas 2/fan 130C. Spread the crumbs over a baking sheet and dry in the oven for 10-15 minutes until pale golden, stirring halfway.
  3. At the same time, hard-boil one of the eggs. Cut the potatoes into chunks. Cook in boiling salted water for 10-15 minutes until tender. Drain well and mash with a fork.
  4. While the egg and potatoes are cooking, put the fish in a frying pan with just enough water to cover. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes until just cooked. Remove the fish with a palette knife and put on a plate. When it is cool enough to handle, carefully remove the skin and any bones. Flake the fish.
  5. Shell the egg and chop it. Carefully mix with the potato, fish, lemon zest, parsley, ½ tsp salt and a some black pepper. With floured hands, shape into 4 round cakes.
  6. Coat each cake in the egg, then the dried breadcrumbs. Reshape if necessary.
  7. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the cakes over a medium heat for 5 minutes on each side, turning once, until golden on both sides. Serve with the tartare sauce.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, January 2003.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • Binder photo Chirsteen

    22 December 2007

    Chirsteen rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    The most delicious fish cake recipe.

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  • Binder photo Victoria

    02 April 2008

    Victoria rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I make these alot and my family love them, even my 7 year old fussy eater. I use half smoked haddock and half cod. I always make extra because we love to reheat any leftover and have them with baked beans for supper or even breakfast...... The tartar sauce is also great but use capers in vinegar and not salted for a better taste.

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  • Binder photo Susanne

    02 May 2008

    Susanne rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I am making these fish cakes for the second time this evening. I have tried many different recipes but these are the best!

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  • Binder photo christine

    12 May 2009

    christine commented on this recipe

    Have just made these up for tea-time and because I didn't have enough smoked fish, I made it with half smoked fish and half fresh salmon. I also put in 1 tbspn chopped capers in vinegar. The smell is divine and can't wait till tea. I have a question though. I am on a strict diet and wondered if I could oven cook these instead of frying them. Would be interested to know if anyone has tried this method yet?? P.S. I also found I got six out of this amount. If you make four as the recipe suggests, they are absolutely huge!!!

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  • Binder photo helenm

    03 August 2010

    helenm rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made the tartare sauce to go with another fishcake recipe for a dinner party. Two of my guests had eaten at Rick Stein's place in Padstow a couple of weeks earlier and declared that this sauce was better than the tartare sauce they had there! How chuffed was I!?! I did confess where the recipe came from though!

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  • Binder photo AllieB

    27 September 2011

    AllieB rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made these fish cakes yesterday and they were delicious. I fried two as per the recipe for the children after school but later cooked the rest in the oven with a spray of light oil. They taste good either way but aside from being healthier, I find that they are easier and less messy to cook in the oven. I agree with Christine that this recipe would easily make 6 large cakes or 8-10 small cakes as a starter. I would also recommend making them in advance particularly for a dinner party because they took me a while to make and for some reason I had a lot of washing up even after filling the dish washer! I made the tartare sauce in the food processor which took no time at all and have plenty left over in a jar in the fridge. I don't think I will bother buying ready made from the supermarket any more now I know how easy and tasty it is to make yourself! I will definitely make this recipe again.

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 25 mins

Cook time

Cook 15 mins

Makes fish go a long way

Ingredients

FOR THE TARTARE SAUCE

  • 200g mayonnaise
  • 2 small gherkins , chopped
  • 2 tbsp capers , roughly chopped
  • 1 small shallot , very finely chopped
  • 1 tsp horseradish sauce
  • ½ tsp dry or made mustard
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
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