Peppered mackerel fishcakes

Peppered mackerel fishcakes

By Good Food
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(64 ratings)
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Prep: 20 mins Cook: 15 mins

Easy

Serves 4

Use up leftover mash to create a comforting, good-value family meal

Nutrition and extra info

  • Can be frozen uncooked

Nutrition: per serving

  • kcal427
  • fat26g
  • saturates5g
  • carbs32g
  • sugars2g
  • fibre2g
  • protein18g
  • salt1.76g
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Ingredients

  • 300g cold mashed potato
    Potato

    Potato

    po-tate-oh

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

  • 6 spring onions, thinly sliced
    Spring onions

    Spring onion

    sp-ring un-yun

    Also known as scallions or green onions, spring onions are in fact very young onions, harvested…

  • 1 tbsp horseradish sauce
    Horseradish root on a wooden chopping board

    Horseradish

    hors rad-ish

    Horseradish root is larger than an ordinary radish, and has a hot, peppery flavour.

    It…

  • 250g / 9oz peppered mackerel fillets, skinned and flaked
    Mackerel

    Mackerel

    Mackerel is a firm-fleshed, torpedo-shaped sea fish. Whole mackerel weigh in around 10-12oz (…

  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 1 egg, beaten
    Eggs

    Egg

    egg

    The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition packed with protein and a…

  • 85g dried breadcrumbs
  • sunflower oil, for frying (optional)
    Sunflower oil

    Sunflower oil

    Sunflower oil is made from pressing sunflower seeds and extracting the oil. It's usually…

  • salad and lemon wedges, to serve
    Lemon

    Lemon

    le-mon

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

Method

  1. In a large bowl, mix together the potato, spring onions, horseradish and mackerel, then shape into 8 even-size cakes. Roll the fishcakes in the flour, shaking off any excess, then dip in the egg, followed by the breadcrumbs. Cover and chill until ready to cook. Can be prepared up to a day ahead, or frozen.

  2. Gently grill or shallow-fry the fishcakes for 5-6 mins on each side until crunchy, golden brown and hot all the way through. Serve with salad and lemon wedges.

  • Recipe Tip

    Making your own dried breadcrumbs

    Whizz stale or end crusts of white bread in a food processor. Line a baking sheet with kitchen paper, spread out the crumbs and leave for 24 hours or until completely dry. Store in an airtight container for 1 month. For flavoured breadcrumbs, add a pinch of spices or herbs, such as paprika or thyme, to the processor.

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Comments, questions and tips

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mrsmojos
20th Jul, 2020
I did not have peppered mackerel fillets because my husband had caught a huge haul off a Cornish bay so I used fresh - they have gone down as legendary with the people in the village!! Just add pepper and if you have spare king prawns, blanch then chop them up - just heavenly!!!
Charlene Garcia Marin's picture
Charlene Garcia...
6th Apr, 2020
5.05
Excellent recipe! I love smoked mackerel, but never thought you could use to make fish cakes. I used butternut squash instead of potatoes and came out delicious. Will definitely make again
whitneyjadee
24th Mar, 2020
5.05
These are really tasty and very quick to put together. I always use a bit more horseradish than the recipe says and don't bother to drop my cakes into flour before the breadcrumbs. I couldn't find peppered mackerel on one occasion and they still turned out delicious.
pumphrey09
15th Dec, 2018
5.05
These are lovely fishcakes for the minimum of effort. I always add a few chopped capers, cornichons and parsley which I feel really lifts the dish to the next level. I usually cook them on a baking tray in the oven (200 degrees for 25 mins).
puffle
29th Oct, 2017
4.05
Very straight forward, and very tasty. My only quibble is the assumption that you have leftover mash, which I think is a bit of a cheat on the writer's part. I had to make mash from scratch so it took me more like 55 minutes total. However, great recipe
martus
5th Aug, 2017
5.05
These were the first fishcakes I've ever made and they turned out very tasty! I didn't have -and don't like -horseradish, so used mustard instead and it worked very well.
whippetty
6th Aug, 2016
5.05
My husband fishes a lot and always comes home with tons of mackerel if nothing else so along with smoked mackerel paté, this is a great use of all the bucketloads he brings home! Will try the chilli and mustard varieties too :)
SawyerSauce's picture
SawyerSauce
19th Feb, 2016
5.05
I didn't use the horseradish, but still really tasty. I made mine with M&S honey and whisky smoked mackerel fillets, simply delicious! I served them with vegetables alone, as they're rather filling on their own without another side of carby chips! Will definitely make again!
fionaginger
12th Feb, 2016
5.05
Really tasty. Quick easy and cheap a regular in our house.
michelle_30's picture
michelle_30
10th Nov, 2015
I've never tried mackerel and came across this receipe.....well I love mackerel now! This was so quick, easy and cheap to make! They taste delicious and I served one with rocket and tartar sauce. I used panko breadcrumbs for the first time and they were delicious too really crunchy crumb. This is def a staple receipe for me now and def worth a try

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Caitlin Cuff
25th Jan, 2019
Is it possible to have these without any breadcrumbs/alternative crumb? Like maybe just binding with egg and frying? Thanks
championnat
13th Jul, 2016
For the mashed potato, should I be prepping that as I would a normal side of mashed potatoes, like with butter and garlic, etc? Or is it literally just boiled potatoes that are mashed down? I'd always associate "mashed potato" as the side dish, so just want to clarify.
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
11th Aug, 2016
Thanks for your question, plain mashed potato is perfect for this recipe. If you need a splash of milk or knob of butter then go for it but the mash wants to be firm or the fish cakes won't hold together. There's no need for additional flavourings as these are included in this recipe. Hope that helps!
laurenward71
9th Feb, 2015
Hi , just a bit confused do i need to cook the fresh mackerel before i mix it into the fish cake ?? or does it cook enough in the fishcake in the oven ?? x
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
9th Feb, 2015
Hi laurenward71, thanks for getting in touch. You're looking for the peppered mackerel fillets which have been hot smoked, these are cooked and ready to use. Hope this helps, sorry for the confusion. 
arnside037's picture
arnside037
8th Mar, 2016
For a gluten free version, crunch up some GF cornflakes or bran flakes and use this instead of breadcrumbs. Or use ordinary cornflakes and bran flakes if breadcrumbs are not readily available.
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