Feelgood fish cakes

Feelgood fish cakes

By Good Food
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(33 ratings)
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Prep: 15 mins Cook: 35 mins

Easy

Serves 4
These budget-friendly fish cakes made with canned sardines are packed full of good stuff

Nutrition and extra info

Nutrition:

  • kcal287
  • fat13g
  • saturates2g
  • carbs29g
  • sugars2g
  • fibre2g
  • protein16g
  • salt0.67g
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Ingredients

  • 600g potatoes, cut into chunks
    Potato

    Potato

    po-tate-oh

    The world's favourite root vegetable, the potato comes in innumerable varieties. A member of…

  • 2 x 120g cans sardines in spring water, drained
    Sardine

    Sardine

    sar-deen

    Sardines are named after the island of Sardinia, where they were once found in abundance. Found…

  • 4 tbsp chopped parsley
    Parsley

    Parsley

    par-slee

    One of the most ubiquitous herbs in British cookery, parsley is also popular in European and…

  • zest and juice 1 small lemon
    Lemon

    Lemon

    le-mon

    Oval in shape, with a pronouced bulge on one end, lemons are one of the most versatile fruits…

  • 3 tbsp light mayonnaise
  • 4 tbsp fat-free Greek yogurt (we used Total 0%)
  • 1 tbsp seasoned plain flour
  • 4 tsp sunflower oil
    Sunflower oil

    Sunflower oil

    A variety of oils can be used for baking. Sunflower is the one we use most often at Good Food as…

  • green salad and lemon wedges, to serve

Method

  1. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender, about 15-20 mins. Meanwhile, coarsely mash the sardines in a bowl (there’s no need to remove the calcium-rich bones as they are soft enough to eat). Mix in 3 tbsp chopped parsley and half the lemon zest and juice. Meanwhile, mix the mayonnaise and yogurt with the remaining parsley, lemon zest and juice and some seasoning.

  2. Drain the potatoes, then mash until smooth. Gently mix into the sardine mixture and season. Shape into 8 fat fish cakes using floured hands, then dust lightly with the seasoned flour.

  3. Heat half the oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry half the fish cakes for 3-4 mins on each side until golden and crisp. Keep warm; repeat with remaining oil and fish cakes. Serve with the lemony mayonnaise, salad and lemon wedges.

  • Recipe Tip

    Superhealthy sardines

    Canned fish is often seen as the poor relative of fresh, but canned sardines are high in nutrients. The canning process makes the bones easier to eat and digest, increasing the calcium content of your meal. Choose fish in spring water or in a healthier oil such as olive, rather than in salty brine, as fish already has a high sodium content.

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Comments, questions and tips

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melsaunders74
13th Sep, 2016
5.05
Very surprised. I'm not a sardine fan, but I have had a tin the cupboard for a few years. My son wanted to see what they looked like, so I found this recipe to give them a try. He helped make them - really simple. Cooked well and stayed together. I grilled them first and then just crisped them in the pan with a bit of oil (I didn't want my kitchen to smell of fried fish!)... I shouldn't have worried they were lovely and all three of the kids who can be a bit fussy ate them. Will be a regular in the weekly menu.
Clarethestar2508
16th Aug, 2016
I followed recipe exactly and had no issue with them falling apart. I also used sardines with red chilli and jalepeno and so no issue with lack of flavour! Great results
levina_masterson
15th Jun, 2014
5.05
Oh and I forgot to add - I used and egg and let the cakes set in the fridge for 1-2 hours before I cooked them and they didn't fall apart at all!
levina_masterson
15th Jun, 2014
5.05
I used 1 1/2 the recipe and used salmon rather than sardines, and WOW did they go down a treat. It made 6 enormous (and so scrummy) cakes that cooked up really well. Best to leave for 5 minutes post oven before handling so they "set" a bit. I served on a bed of puy lentils, sweet potato chunks and a sprinkle of rocket with the sauce and it was great.
amroberts3
15th Feb, 2014
4.05
Okay so these aren't your 'traditional' fish cakes and they do fall apart a bit but these are so easy and great if you're on a budget! Loved the flavours also and have made these quite a few times
fussy
27th Jan, 2014
Just cooking these atm. Read comments. Uh, ohhh. Have only ever made salmon patties before and they have been wet too. Fall apart. Thought I'd try something different this time.Needing a binder? Maybe an egg? And I'll try dill instead of parsley, although I have both. Maybe put in both. Keep you posted. A great budget friendly family recipe. Hoping my hubby likes em. He's the food critic in my house
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abcdefghijord
13th Jan, 2014
Followed the recipe to the T and chilled them for hours before shallow frying, once browned on one side I attempted to turn them over and they just fell apart. My partner liked the flavours but I couldn't stand the sloppy texture. I was so looking forward to these, it was just a shame they disappointed!
ell1711
7th Oct, 2013
Added flour to the mix so that it was less wet and easier to fry. Worked well. Great flavour, my boyfriend and I both enjoyed them
laura_howard
19th Aug, 2013
These fish cakes are versatile, and easy to make. I always add some sautéed diced onion, and make the fish to potato ratio higher on the fishy side.
gr13zly
30th Mar, 2013
Wasn't overly impressed with these, then again, I'm not a lover of sardines in general but thought I'd give them a go... I found them a little wet, which wasn't too much of an issue as I think I put a bit too much lemon juice in to be honest. The mayonnaise was really nice though and I can see that going with other fish recepies. I'll try this again but using different fish.

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sofsof007
11th Oct, 2013
I've been making salmon cakes and other fish cakes since my childhood, though never with any potato, but I can tell you exactly why these are too wet and mushy. Don't put any lemon juice in the mix. You can always squeeze a little lemon on your ready to eat fish cake. Add 2 large or jumbo eggs to the ingredients, mix it well, and then add bread crumbs, until it reaches a consistency suitable for creating patties. (Meaning - when you form a ball/patty in your hands, it holds and doesn't fall apart.) You won't need much. If you do that, you'll get perfect fish cakes every time. Also, I would definitely increase the sardines to potatoes ratio and make sure to drain the sardines very well. For a good variation, dip your fish cakes in seasoned (by you) Panko bread crumbs before frying. Another variation - use dill or cilantro instead of parsley. You can also serve these on mini buns as fish sliders. Yum!