Really Good Fish Cakes

Chunky fish cakes with big flakes of fish, garlic, chilli and thyme — pan-fried golden then baked through, crumbed in panko.

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Recipe Info
Servings: 4
Prep: 30m
Cook: 1h35m
Total: 2h5m
Ingredients
  • 500g white fish fillets, skinless and boneless, cut into 3cm pieces
  • 60g unsalted butter
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 800g potatoes (Maris Piper or King Edwards), makes about 500g flesh
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 1/2 cup green onion, finely sliced (about 1 large stem)
  • 2 large red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
  • 1 tbsp thyme leaves, chopped
  • 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 eggs, lightly whisked
  • 1 1/4 cups panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 cup vegetable or canola oil, for frying (about 1cm depth)
Instructions
  1. Bake the potatoes at 220C (200C fan)/gas 7 for 75 minutes, or until they can be pierced with a knife with no resistance. Cut in half and scoop the flesh into a large bowl.
  2. Turn the oven down to 200C (180C fan)/gas 6 — the fish cakes finish in the oven.
  3. Set a rack over a tray. Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper.
  4. Melt the butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the fish and cook, turning, for 4 minutes total — it should be just cooked inside but not golden. Transfer to the rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining fish.
  5. In the same skillet, add the garlic, chilli, thyme and green onion to the leftover butter. Cook for 1 minute until the garlic is golden, then pour over the potato, scraping out every drop of butter.
  6. Add the parsley and salt, then use a wooden spoon to roughly mash the potato — you want chunks, not smooth mash.
  7. Add the fish and gently stir through, breaking it up a little so you have flakes mixed throughout, without mashing it up too much.
  8. Scoop out 1/4 cup of the mixture, pack it in firmly and shape into a 1.75cm-thick cake. You should make 13-15.
  9. Coat each cake in flour (shaking off excess), dip in egg (letting excess drip off), then coat in breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere.
  10. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the fish cakes in batches for 1 1/2 minutes on each side until golden, then transfer to a paper-towel-lined tray.
  11. Remove the paper towel from under the fish cakes and bake for 10 minutes to heat all the way through.
  12. Serve with lemon wedges and tartare sauce, mayonnaise, sour cream or ketchup.
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