Fish Cakes

Since reading Food Rules by Michael Pollan (more on this later), I've been trying to eat more fish. I'm a fish person. My family, on my mother's side, is Scandinavian, so gravlax and herring were constant part of my childhood. Simon says I've never met a smoked fish I didn't like. He, on the otherhand, is not such a fan.

So, I thought these fish cakes might be a more appealing way of getting him to eat halibut (not that he dislikes halibut, he just generally goes for the beer-battered variety).

This recipe has a few extras that make it superb. It uses fresh breadcumbs which help keep them moist and soft; it has sardines which add a nice hit of flavour (and are super good for you); the Caper-Parsley Sauce that accompanies them is super easy, delicious, and would go with lots.

I added an extra egg which didn't hurt and may have kept them together better. Also, I wouldn't try this without a good processor or something of the sort. It would be close to impossible (especially the bread crumbs!) and the whole recipe was made really fast and easy because all of the ingredients (except the fish!) could just be thrown in a whizzed up in seconds. Now, I don't actually have a food processor, but I have a Cuisinart immersion blender with a mini chopper thing that did it just fine. If you don't have a food processor, and don't want to buy one, I wholey recommend the cuisinart - multifunctional, easy, small, and pretty cheap.

Fish Cakes with Caper Parsley Sauce
from Epicurious.com


Fish Cakes

1 pound 1-inch-thick halibut fillets
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped green onions
3 drained canned sardines, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
2 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless French bread
1 large egg

Sprinkle halibut fillets with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add halibut fillets and sauté until just opaque in center, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to plate; cool. Wipe skillet with paper towels.

Flake halibut fillets into large bowl. Mix in green onions, sardines, chopped fresh parsley, flour, garlic, and lemon peel. Mix in 1 cup breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper; mix in egg. Shape into six 3-inch-diameter cakes. Transfer remaining 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs to bowl. Coat fish cakes with breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere.

Heat remaining 4 tablespoons oil in reserved skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish cakes and cook until brown and crisp, about 6 minutes per side.

Caper-Parsley Sauce

2/3 cup olive oil

6 tablespoons drained capers

6 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

6 anchovy fillets, chopped

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 large garlic cloves, halved

Blend all ingredients in processor until coarse puree forms. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)