Fishcakes with Tartar Sauce
I’ve eaten more fish cakes in my life than I could possibly count. As kids, we’d eat them all summer long, working through Dad’s endless catches of flathead from the bay. He was happy to fish, and we were just as happy to eat.
When I checked in with Mum about her original recipe, she sheepishly admitted that instant potato flakes were the secret all along. I’ve taken the liberty of upgrading to real potatoes here, but the homemade tartar sauce remains exactly as it always was — fresh, tangy, and essential.
ingredients
- 150g potato, uncooked
- 175g white fish fillet, Hoki/flathead tail
- milk
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- cornichons
- capers
- parsley/chives
- lemon juice/pickle brine
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp fine salt
- panko breadcrumbs
- frying oil (canola/sunflower)
Prick the potato a few times all over and microwave on high for 3–4 minutes, or until fully cooked. The exact time will depend on your microwave. Slice it in half and let it cool.
Add enough milk to a shallow pan to just cover the fish fillets. Place on low heat and poach gently until the fish is just cooked through. Lift the fillets out and set aside to cool.
Make the tartar sauce while the fish and potato cool. Finely dice the cornichons and capers, and chop the herbs. Stir everything into the mayonnaise, then loosen with a little lemon juice or pickle brine. Taste and adjust the seasoning until it’s bright and balanced.
Flake the cooled fish into a bowl and add the chopped potato. Sprinkle in the onion powder, dill, white pepper, lemon zest, and salt, then mix well. If it feels dry or struggles to hold together, work in a little extra mayonnaise — a spoonful at a time — until the mixture just holds its shape when pressed.
Form small cakes and coat each one in panko breadcrumbs, turning to cover every edge. Chill them in the fridge to firm up before frying. You’ll get about five or six fish cakes, depending on size. Smaller ones fry more evenly and give you that lovely crisp exterior.
Heat a few centimetres of oil in a frying pan. When it’s hot enough for a breadcrumb to sizzle, lower in the fish cakes. Fry until golden on one side, then turn and cook the other until evenly crisp. Serve hot with generous spoonfuls of tartar sauce and maybe a wedge of lemon on the side. Simple, nostalgic, and just as good as you remember.
