Fishcakes!
There’s a recipe in both my cookbooks–and they are the most visited on the blog.
I am not alone in loving them!
They were always a favorite with me–but were off the menu after my diagnosis because they usually share the space with an equal mount of mashed potatoes (sometimes more, one suspects, in restaurants!). Potatoes have a very high glycemic index rating–mashed especially.
So when I spotted the alternative versions, I was delighted.
One recipe mixes the salmon with smoked haddock; another adds fresh dill.
These secondary ingredients are not always easy to find—so here is a third version with the perennially available smoked salmon.
My local supermarket sells 200gm/8oz packets of smoked salmon off-cuts—-perfect for this and less expensive than traditional slices.
LUNCH–with a green salad!
for 2
200 gms/8oz skinless salmon fillet
200gms/8oz smoked salmon
- 1 shallot–chopped small
- white of an egg
- 1 tbsp chickpea flour–or any whole flour
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
- juice of half a lemon
- 2 tbsp parsley–chopped
- salt and pepper
Cut up the fresh salmon and the smoked salmon into pieces as illustrated above–roughly bite-size.
Pulse them briefly in a food mixer–they should not be mushy.
Empty them into a bowl.
Carefully turn in the rest of the ingredients.
Taste for seasoning–delicious exercise!
Scoop out the mixture and form your patties (I use a tablespoon.) Don’t “overwork” the mixture.
If you have time, cover and refrigerate for half an hour or so–it helps firm up the fishcakes.
Heat the oil to HOT in a frying pan. Very important that the fishcakes cook in hot oil.
Slide them carefully into the pan and flatten them a little with a fish slice/spatula to hasten the cooking.
After a couple of minutes flip them over and cook briefly the other side.
When you see the milky liquid appearing from inside the fishcakes, they are READY.
Lift them gently out of the pan and arrange them on a serving plate with sliced lemon.
Delicious served with a little yogurt sauce:
- 1 pot yogurt
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
- pinch of salt
Whisk the yogurt smooth and stir in the mustard and salt.
Whisk again.
Robin Ellis 
Looks delicious – thank you!
I love the idea of making these with chickpea flour! I’m an American cook/foodblogger based in Russia, and my mission is to rescue recipes here, and like you, I love to use the smoked salmon bits (really cheap here — about the only thing that is!) I make a version of these with celery root mash instead of potatoes and they are great!
That sounds good–i’ll try it thanks, Jennifer.
Mr Ellis you have spoiled us – after trying this recipe other fish cakes are not the same.
Bless you, Margaret!
WELL EXPLAIED¡
Hey Robin,
Ran across this story on the new remake of Poldark,
including a video clip. Thought you might like to see,
assuming you haven’t seen it yet…
http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/tv-radio/560436/Poldark-Aiden-Turner-BBC-remake-new-drama
Cheers, Phil
Thanks, Phil–I’m looking forward to it.
This looks great. I do love the photos as well; it helps a lot. (I wonder who takes them???)
Well you know who is now contracted to do the photos for the new book–lucky me!
Great photographer!
After growing up catholic and having to annually endure Lent and Ember Days as well as no meat Fridays, and my mother’s fish cakes, I swore I would never eat another fish cake in my life. Crab cakes properly prepared changed some of that vow. Your recipe for fish cakes looks to overturn it completely. These look delicious and I am going to try them this weekend.
Great Mary–I hope they do the trick!
Yes Yes Yes Robin; these have to be my favourites. I adore fish. So thank you. I will make these tomorrow. Which wine do you recommend. Can you drink wine Robin or is best not to when you have diabetes. My uncle suffered from diabetes, but he also suffered terrible memories of his time in WW2 & he liked a good claret with his meals to soften them. Wishing you & Meredith a lovely week.🌹
🍀Shawdiane
>
I’d welcome a glass of good claret–taken with some food, Diane!
Lovely fishcake solutions, Mr Ellis ! With a cupboard now stocked with chickpea flour and spelt flour, I have come back to the pleasures of grain-based food without the intolerances which come with standard wheat flour.
Re Type 2 Diabetes, from my Facebook post: “I have occasionally posted on this FB page on the subject of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). For those of you who haven’t caught up, I was diagnosed with T2D in August 2013. Truculently refused to knuckle under to the disease, the dietary advice, and the tendency of some people to treat it as an embarrassing secret, went my own way, developed my own (fairly limited) dietary modifications, and talked to people about what was happening. I kept drinking red wine, eating cheese, and having the occasional piece of chocolate or biscuit. I eat fa (it’s good for you) ! I did however do two things in particular. Almost everything I eat is prepared from raw materials, preferably fresh rather than frozen. If I am in a hurry, then I will grill a piece of fish from the freezer and eat it with dressed lettuce, or have a banana or raw oatflakes and seeds, never ever a “ready meal”. And I bought a pedometer and I walk a minimum 10,000 steps in a 24 hour period (roughly 5 miles/8 kilometres). Latest result – not diabetic, not even pre-diabetic, now below average blood-sugar for a male in his mid sixties. T2D is a curable disease, it simply requires willpower and, I suspect, a reset button upon which I seem to have accidentally stumbled. Try it yourself if you have T2D, pass it on to friends and relatives.”
This is a tremendous achievement and an example of what can be achieved, Richard. Well done.
warm regards, Robin.
OMG, Robin, your salmon cakes have always been my favorite recipe but this sounds crazy good with the smoked salmon and the gluten-free flour. Guess what I’m treating myself to on my birthday!
Hi Robin,
As one of your many legion of Poldark fans and blog follower of your lovely recipes, I see this evening that you are appearing on ‘The One Show’ to-morrow at 7.00pm on BBC 1. Please forgive the presumption but I do think you should make everyone aware of this momentous occasion, as I am sure it is not to be missed by all your blog followers. You may not be aware that guests for the ‘One show’ are not listed until one is informed the previous live show. So unless you tell everyone they are not going to know!
Every good wish to you.
Will do Wendy–thanks for the tip.
Hi Robin,
I tried this recipe today and it was so good. Since we had a bad snow storm today and had only imitation crab meat , that is what I used along with honey mustard . It turned out better than I expected . Thank you for showing photos of how to make your recipes. It helps me a lot. A lovely green salad was on the side. The new Poldark will not be here in the States until June so I have to just wait a little longer. I am looking forward to seeing it.
Best to you and your wife.
Glad it worked for you Marge–I want to try crab meat soon.