Fish Cakes with Curried Root Vegetable Stew
Freshly cooked homemade fish cakes are absolutely delicious and a wonderful way to serve fish. Here, they are paired with a creamy curried root vegetable stew and potatoes, but the fish cakes are equally delicious served in a good burger bun or tucked into a fish wrap.
Ingredients
Rustic Fish Cakes
- 600 g (1⅓ lb / 21 oz) fish fillet, such as saithe, cod or haddock
- 1 tsp salt
- 1½ tbsp potato starch
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 1 egg
- 100 ml (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) milk
- 2 tbsp finely chopped leek or chives
- 2 tbsp margarine, for frying
Root Vegetables
- 2 slices swede (rutabaga)
- 1 carrot
- 1 parsley root or parsnip
- 300 ml (1¼ cups) water
Curry White Sauce
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tbsp margarine or butter
- 2½ tbsp plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 150 ml (⅔ cup) vegetable cooking water, reserved from cooking the root vegetables
- 150 ml (⅔ cup) milk
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh curly parsley
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Tiny note: 150 ml is technically about 0.63 US cups, so ⅔ cup is the cleanest kitchen-friendly conversion. And 100 ml is about 0.42 cup, hence ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp.
Instructions
1. Prepare the fish
Remove the skin from the fish fillets and carefully check for any remaining bones. Cut the fish into smaller pieces.
Make sure all the ingredients are thoroughly chilled before you begin.
2. Make the fish cake mixture
Place the fish and salt in a food processor. Process for 15–20 seconds, until the fish is roughly chopped and well mixed with the salt.
Continue processing for another 15–20 seconds. The mixture should be combined but still have a slightly coarse texture.
Sprinkle in the potato starch and white pepper, then add the egg. With the food processor running at medium speed, slowly pour in the milk in a thin, steady stream.
Finally, stir in the chopped leek or chives.
3. Fry the fish cakes
Using a large spoon, shape the fish mixture into evenly sized, flat fish cakes.
Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the margarine. Once it is hot and foaming, add the fish cakes.
Fry until beautifully golden brown on both sides.
Transfer the cooked fish cakes to a plate and keep them warm in the oven at 80–100°C (175–210°F).
4. Cook the root vegetables
Cut the swede, carrot and parsley root or parsnip into small cubes.
Cook them in a saucepan of lightly salted water until tender.
Reserve 150 ml of the cooking water for the sauce, then drain the vegetables.
5. Make the curried vegetable stew
Melt the butter or margarine in a small saucepan and add the curry powder.
Stir in the flour, then gradually whisk in the reserved vegetable cooking water and milk.
Stir well and allow the sauce to simmer gently for a few minutes until thickened.
Add the cooked root vegetables and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Finally, stir through the finely chopped parsley.
Serve the freshly fried fish cakes immediately with the creamy curried root vegetables and boiled potatoes.
Notes
Many different types of fish can be used to make homemade fish cakes. Some of the most common choices in Norway are saithe, haddock, pollock, cod and wolffish, but salmon, trout and even pike can also work beautifully in this recipe.
The most important thing to remember is that all the ingredients should be very cold when preparing the fish mixture. The fish can even be slightly frozen.
Keeping everything cold helps prevent the mixture from splitting and creates a smooth, even texture.
The longer you process the fish mixture, the finer the texture will become — although over-processing also increases the chance that the mixture may split.
You can also flavour the fish cakes in many different ways. Try adding chopped herbs such as parsley, dill, chives or coriander, or experiment with garlic, onion, spring onion, curry powder or turmeric.
Recipe and image source: Matprat.no
