Nice and fluffy fish cakes!

Pav · Feb 12, 2009

There is a fish and chip shop in Pendeen thats sells Fish cakes! They offer you homemade or mass produced cakes. The homemade cakes are crazy! They look fluffy and huge. I guessed they may be using self raising flour.

SO... My attempt to reproduce these lovely cakes..

Poached fish mixture (Mullet and flaties) in milk with some onions.
When cooked mixed with mash potato.
I then thickend with self raising flour.
Still a bit runny so found some stuff my mate bought back from china to chuck in (not sure what it was, but it was white and flour like).

NOW.. this stuff is sticky! I reckon stgronger than any glue you could buy. Difficult to handle and concerned looks from the wife as I chucked it into a frying pan to shallow fry (NOTE.. I agree with the Americans... FRY IT.. and it will surely taste great!)

Now imagine something sticky and very doughy with the density of something really dense. Tasting like flour (any flavour from the fish has been well and truely destroyed).

In conclusion Chefs make this cooking thing look easy.

PLEASE... how do I make soft and fluffy fish cake??

slingshaft · Feb 13, 2009

The 'flour' was probably tapioca flour,(starch). It is used in very authentic asian dishes. I dare say that wheat flour is what is needed for this recipe. We need to get Chef Al in on this project :king

Old Man Dave · Feb 13, 2009

First off I'm no chef. I catch 'em and if I cook 'em its a quick fry job on totally plain fillets. I like fish and that's how I like 'em cooked.

However I really enjoy battered fish from a fish 'n' chippy. I like cod done this way although it is probably mostly the batter. To prove a point I have caught a few cod and I have tried them cooked at home plain and in various batters. I expected the super fresh cod I'd caught to taste great but whatever way it was cooked it was disappointing. I tried leaving the cod to "rest" for a few days, still poor. I tried it frozen, defrosted and cooked. Nope still not as good as the chippy.

In the end I decided that 1. cod aint worth the bother and 2. you can't beat the battered fish from a chip shop, if you like battered fish.

As I said I'm no chef so there's no challenge in the cooking for me only in the catching. I leave the cooking to my brother Foxfish. Now he is cooking obsessed.

Dave

nz676 · Feb 17, 2009

Ingredients

1 lb of cod fillets
2 medium-sized russett potatoes
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Grapeseed oil, or other high smoke point oil such as canola oil, for frying
Method

1 Boil and mash the potatoes, set them aside.
2 Boil the codfish until it flakes easkly. Drain and flake the fish with a fork. Be sure to remove all bones.
3 Mix the flaked fish, the potatoes and the rest of the ingredients together well by hand. If the mixture is too crumbly, add another egg. If too sticky, add some more bread crumbs.
4 Form the mixture into cakes and fry them on medium high heat in a skillet coated with oil.
Makes 12 fish cakes. Serves 4-6.

thought this might help

foxfish · Feb 17, 2009

Pav I know where you are coming from, some of the more basic recipes are not aways that easy to get right.
You need the right potato = Estima, King Edward, Maris Piper & Desiree will produce light mash.

slingshaft · Feb 17, 2009

Say Fox, do you know the U.S. equivelent of those european spuds? We have names such as Idaho,Russet,Red skin,and Golds. Would any good quality baking potato suffice? :friday

foxfish · Feb 17, 2009

Slingshaft, I would suggest you google up something like "light fluffy mash potato" that should get you the American equivalent name for the best type of potato to use. (let us know)

nz676 · Feb 17, 2009

russet potato the dark brown ones with kinda rough texture skin my folks own a restaurant that is the best potato to use doesnt get that glue texture when mashed and add a bit of butter and milk if you want a really light fluffy mash but not to much just a dash of milk and maybe a tsp of butter

agbiv · Feb 18, 2009

Right on w/ the russet here in the States. Other spuds are too dense to fluff right. However for good mashed try the reds but add sour cream, [butter & garlic, onion sauted together], & real whole milk. Whip the daylights out of them & they fluff okay.

As for your fish cake recipe try using Japanese bread crumbs (pannko). They will really be light & fluffy. Above recipe is an excellent springboard for experimentation.

Don't knock cod - just treat it right. And yes there are times (& sometimes time is the main factor) that pre-prepared or someone elses battered ______ is easier & just as tasty.

Pav · Feb 18, 2009

Today I went to Pendeen for the only reason of buying a Fishcake and asking the secret of fluffy fish cakes! They couldn't of been more helpful. I strongly recommend the homemade fishcakes!

Anyway, basically it is as you have explained. BUT.. the magic potatoes for making fluffy mash is...........

SMASH!! I assume this is not just a UK product.

The cakes are made as you would expect but they are then dipped in batter and deep fried.

so there you go. We need to ask this fella which potatoes are best!

Pav · Feb 18, 2009

If you don't know what smash is ....

Mr. X · Feb 20, 2009

"They peel them with their Metal Knives!" [Metallic laughter] I used to have a poster of one of those robots.

Just ate a large mullet out of the freezer last week, from last season. Was surprised how good the taste and texture was after several months - tasted great.

OMD you are right about the batter. A family member came up with a good recipe from the web for batter which used vinegar as the liquid. It certainly reminded me of the chippy. It made the long-frozen pollock fillets quite delicious -- but it's more the batter than the fish as you point out.

Foxfish, interesting point, we don't really consider the type of potato except when planting - and usually we try a mixture. The end results do vary a lot in size, shape, colour, texture & probably taste too. I never came across a "new potato" in 14 years in the USA, small mature potatoes yes but not real new potatoes with that new potato taste.

foxfish · Feb 20, 2009

In Guernsey we have a hedge veg culture, people will sell veg on their garden walls or hedges & supply a honesty box.
This is a fantastic source of organic veg at very reasonable prices & only occasionally abused but always under thread form the tax men!
Anyhow you can very often find a great variety of potatoes for sale, at the moment we can find tiny little new potatoes the size of marbles, they are just fantastic to eat simply boiled for a few mins.

agbiv · Feb 21, 2009

We grow "new" baby reds here quite well in the sand. Just have to watch out for fire ants as they will devestate the if not careful. I use cornmeal & DE to stop the little buggars in the garden.

podge · Feb 21, 2009

foxfish said:
In Guernsey we have a hedge veg culture, people will sell veg on their garden walls or hedges & supply a honesty box.
This is a fantastic source of organic veg at very reasonable prices & only occasionally abused but always under thread form the tax men!
Anyhow you can very often find a great variety of potatoes for sale, at the moment we can find tiny little new potatoes the size of marbles, they are just fantastic to eat simply boiled for a few mins.

Mart what were those potatoes that we had last year at your place?
You got them from a hedge veg spot and Jim and myself had a few to bring home.
They were the best.

foxfish · Feb 21, 2009

I think they were Fir Apple mate, beautiful little boiling pots, perfect for salads too.
Yeah - Pink Fir Apple - fine flavour and waxy texture whether eaten hot or cold.
Quite seasonal over here, we get them late summer.
We should see the first of the asparagus crop soon, the same guy who sells the fir apples sells amazing asparagus, really big jobs but you need to eat them for lunch the day they are picked to really get the full amazing flavour.
Cant wait for spring, fed up of oven cooked food, I want to get back in the fire house!
(although that means almost certain nasty hand burns because I always forget just how f.....g hot that wok can get!)

podge · Feb 21, 2009

Pink Fir Apples, them’s the ones, now that’s a good potato.:king
Foxy you ought to put up a few picts of you in the Fire House with the fire roaring and the wok on the top, great stuff mate and I’m looking forward to this years treats all ready.:friday
Maybe stick up your recipe for that stir fry you did, not forgetting the chilli stir fry sauce.:friday:friday

foxfish · Feb 21, 2009

Not really big on recipes, just make it up as I go along but if your going to cook your mates a chicken stir fry you need a decent fire to heat up that wok.

agbiv · Feb 21, 2009

He he he fire! fire! fire! he he he Don't do like a bunch of doofus rednecks around here did when deep frying turkey got popular. Filler' to the brim w/ boiling oil and drop in a half thawed 20 lb bird...and torch your porch, dog, garage, yourself and give reason for the local VFD to come out and play with their "toys".

Nice and fluffy fish cakes!

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