A couple of years ago I made fresh tuna fishcakes and they were raaaank. So I stayed away from any fishcake adventures and stuck to the occasional M&S smoked haddock fishcake. Those are delicious and of course how much can go wrong if you just need to turn on the oven, place fishcake on tray and bake for twenty minutes.
More recently Mat has been in charge of the shopping/food plan list and surprise, surprise he planned Smoked Fish and Crispy Bacon Fishcakes...because I need more fish in my life... and I was like "Oh ok?!"
But they were soooo worth it. In true Jamie Oliver fashion, we ended up using every single pot and pan and baking tray we own but had enough to make seven big fishcakes which essentially would feed seven people. So four of them are living in our freezer at the moment waiting for a lazy, "I don't want to cook tonight" evening.
All you need on the side is a lemony rocket and watercress salad or a tangy savoy cabbage slaw.
Enjoy,
Etta xo
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MAKES
7 fishcakes
PREPARATION
30mins
COOKS
20mins
INGREDIENTS
- 2 leeks
- 1 knob of butter
- a sprinkle of nutmeg
- salt and pepper to season
- 500g potatoes
- 3 large eggs
- 240g smoked trout and smoked haddock, skinned and cut into chunks
- 1 lemons
- 6 sprigs of flat leaf parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped
- a few handfuls of plain flour
- 6 slices of white bread, crust removed
- 1 dried red chilli
- olive oil
- 7 rashers of smoked bacon
- watercress, rocket or savoy slaw with a lemony dressing to serve
PREPARATION METHOD
- Top and tail the leeks, halve lengthways, remove the rough outer leaves, give a thorough wash, then finely slice.
- Put the knob of butter into a large pan over a medium heat. Once melted, add the leeks, a sprinkle of nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Cook gently with the lid on for about 25 minutes or until the leeks are soft. Stir every now and then to stop them catching. Then take the pan off the heat and leave to cool.
- While your leeks are cooking, peel and halve your potatoes and place into a pot of boiling salted water. Cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and mashable. Once cooked, drain them and mash until smooth with a few chunky bits remaining. Leave to cool.
- Crack the eggs into a shallow bowl, saving one egg yolk. Mix the yolk into the cooled mash. Add the leeks, two-thirds of the parsley, the smoked fish and the zest of one lemon and the juice of half to the mash. Mix thoroughly and set to one side.
- Whisk the remaining egg and place into a shallow bowl. Sprinkle a bit of flour onto a plate.
- In food processor pulse the bread and chilli with a small glug of olive oil until you have fluffy bread crumbs, then mix in the remaining parsley. Tip the crumbs onto a plate.
- Pre-heat the oven to 220˚C and leave a good size baking tray to heat up in the oven. Divide your fishcakes into 7 balls and dust each one in flour (you might need to top up the flour on your plate. Do a little at a time). Flatten the dusted fishcakes balls into patties (approx. 2cm) then dip into the whisked egg and let any excess drip off. Now roll them in the breadcrumbs until well coated.
- Lay the bacon rashers out side by side on a chopping board, cover with cling film and flatten with a rolling pin or a bottle, so they are longer and thinner.
- Wrap one bacon rasher around the circumference of each fishcake and secure with a cocktail stick.
- Place the fishcakes you wish to eat on the hot baking tray. Wrap the rest tightly in cling film and refrigerate or freeze for another day.
- Roast the fishcakes in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
- Serve hot alongside a lemony watercress or rocket salad or a simple savoy cabbage slaw.
