Tasty Fish Cakes with Maris Piper or Rooster Potatoes

Fish cakes are a fantastic way to use your lovely home-grown potatoes. They’re quick and easy to make, and can be made in advance – simply fry them up in minutes when you need them.

Maris Piper or Rooster are good spuds for a fish cake. They have a high level of dry matter, so they will absorb all that lovely milk, and are floury in texture. Good flavour too!

Parsley is fish’s friend and scallions add a nice tang. You can make this recipe gluten free by using gram flour and gluten-free bread.

This easy recipe is sure to be a hit with everyone!

Makes four large fish cakes. Allow one per person as a starter and two as a main course.

Ingredients

➤ 350g Maris Piper or Rooster potatoes

➤ 500g skinned cod or haddock fillet

➤ 300ml milk

➤ 2 bay leaves

➤ 1 tbsp chopped parsley and scallions

➤ 85g white breadcrumbs (stale works best!)

➤ handful of plain flour

➤ 1 egg

Method

Peel your potatoes, chop them into 2cm cubes and cook them in boiling water for 5 minutes.

Poach your fish fillets in the milk with the bay leaves on a gentle heat for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the fish to continue cooking in the warm liquid (15 minutes should do it).

When the potatoes are ready, drain them well. Mash them with a fork. Add your chopped parsley and scallions.

Flake your fish into the potato. Be gentle when mixing the fish through the potato – leave some chunky bits for texture. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Beat the egg. Put the flour on a chopping board or large platter. Tip your fish cake mix onto the flour and divide it in four. Shape each quarter into a round fish cake.

Dip each fish cake in the egg, then cover it in the breadcrumbs.

Heat 2cm sunflower oil in a pan and when it’s nice and hot, pop the fishcakes in. Cook them for 3–5 minutes on each side until they become crispy and golden on both sides. A medium heat is best – too hot and the breadcrumbs will burn before the cake is heated through.

Place the fish cakes on some kitchen towel to soak up excess oil when you remove them from the pan.

Serve with a watercress salad, a wedge of lemon and tartare sauce.