If you like lump meat crab cakes then you will definitely enjoy this version of fish cakes. This recipe was borne out of sheer laziness. I didn’t feel like steaming the fish or turning it into a paste so I opted to cut into small pieces. When cooked, you get morsels of the fish and get to enjoy the texture of the fish in a different way.
Apart from the fish itself, the rest of the ingredients that make up this “recipe” were based on what was in the refrigerator. Therefore, use whatever you have. The main ingredients are the fish, some fresh breadcrumbs for body and added texture and eggs to hold it together. Another thing,
don’t fuss about making perfectly round fish cakes, this is rustic; just pat it and drop it in the pan.
Any fish would work with this recipe.
INGREDIENTS
½ cup whole milk or
vegetable/seafood/chicken stock
¾ cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 pound coarsely chopped fish
2 teaspoons grated garlic
Minced hot pepper to taste
2 tablespoons mixed chopped fresh
herbs – scallions/green onions, celery,
thyme, basil
¼ cup grated carrots or pumpkin
(optional)
Salt to taste
2 eggs
Oil for shallow frying
DIRECTIONS
Wet the breadcrumbs with the milk/stock whichever you are using and set aside for 5 minutes.
Add fish, garlic, pepper, herbs and carrots or pumpkin if using, to a large bowl and mix together.
Add soaked breadcrumbs and salt to taste and mix into the fish mixture.
Lightly beat eggs, just to break up the yolks and mix into the fish. Refrigerate and let rest for 2 hours so that it can set. (I know, this seems to go against the whole idea of this being a lazy recipe.)
Form the fish mixture into 2-inch round patties (you can make them larger if you like).
Fry in batches and drain on paper towels. Serve hot with sour, pepper sauce or achar. These can work as appetizers.
NOTES
The mixture can be made a day head and refrigerate overnight.
You can use dried breadcrumbs but the texture will not be exactly the same and you will need to add more liquid (milk/stock). Use ½ cup dried breadcrumbs and ½ cups milk/stock.
If you don’t have carrots or pumpkin, thinly slice some bora and add to the mixture.
