Fishcakes for the Family

Fishcakes are an absolute classic for a lot of people, and it’s pretty common knowledge that they are a great freezable ready-meal to have at hand. There are so many benefits to having a batch of these in your freezer, one of the main ones being that, when done right, they are a full meal in themselves, packed with lots of nutrients, and hearty enough to leave you feeling full and satisfied afterwards. 

These fishcakes in particular are an absolute winner, and so much healthier than the shop-bought ones. They’re ideal to enjoy as a family, and being able to freeze them individually means they are a great last-minute fall-back, especially for toddlers and kids - even the fussy ones tend to love them, just pass them off as fancy fish fingers!

This is a really simple recipe inspired by the wonderful Chiappa Sisters, but you can definitely improvise using it as your base and then playing around with extra flavours, making it work for you. The sweet potato adds a delicious and subtle natural sweetness, and if you want to add a bit of a kick try adding a small handful of chilli flakes at stage 5.

Ingredients (makes 12)

250 grams sweet potato

250 grams salmon or trout fillets

100 grams frozen peas

500 ml of full fat milk

Zest of 1 lemon

2 eggs

100 grams of crushed cornflakes or breadcrumbs

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF), Gas Mark 4.

1. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into 1cm cubes
2. Cut the fish into chunks ensuring all bones are removed
3. Put the sweet potato, fish and peas into a pan and cover with the milk.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or until sweet potato is soft and the fish is cooked
4. Drain the fish, potato and pea mix from the milk and set aside into a bowl, mash with a potato masher leaving a bit of texture to the fish *
5. Once slightly cooled, add the lemon zest and one of the eggs, whisked, sir together.  Season.
6. Split the mixture into 10 or 12 even sized portions (depending on if you’ve removed some for the baby) and form into patties about 2cm thick.
7. Whisk the other egg in a shallow bowl and put the breadcrumbs or cornflakes into another, now it’s time to get messy!
8. Take each fishcake, dip into egg and follow by tossing in the breadcrumbs or cornflakes until well coated, set aside onto a greased baking sheet
9. Drizzle all of the fishcakes with olive oil and put into the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown.
10. Once golden brown, remove from the oven and serve immediately or cool

* At this stage, remove a portion for your baby if necessary and blend to appropriate consistency 

Freezing tips: Once the fishcakes have cooled, store in freezer bags in the freezer for up to 12 months.  If you are freezing the puree for a baby, store in a tupperware container or ice cube tray.

To reheat straight from frozen: Place onto a baking sheet and cook for 20-25 minutes at  180ºC (350ºF), Gas Mark 4 until warmed through