Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘no potato fishcakes’

“No-potato” Fishcakes–Mark III!

Posted in Diabetes, Food, Recipes, tagged , , on February 26, 2015| 23 Comments »

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!

IMG_9737

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

IMG_9725

200gms/8oz smoked salmon

IMG_9728

 

  • 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.

IMG_9726

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.

IMG_9731

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.

IMG_9733

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.

IMG_9736

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.

IMG_9738

 

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

Foxy fishcakes

Posted in Diabetes, Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, Robin Ellis, tagged , , , , , on January 23, 2013| 9 Comments »

Just managed to fit in a cooking no-potato fishcakes session on Fox’s Channel 5 here in Washington with host Holly Morris, before we head for the airport.

IMG_3629

Another recipe based on a Nigel Slater recipe. I have always loved fishcakes – must be the comfort food factor kicking in – but these days of course the fact they usually contain 50 per cent potato causes trouble for me as a diabetic.This recipe solves the problem by leaving the potato out! The dill and the grain mustard make the fishcakes special and they sometimes serve as a tasty starter. If you keep them small and cook them quickly, they’ll be crisp and brown on the outside and still succulent inside.

Yogurt sauce

2 x 125 ml pots low-fat yogurt
1 tsp grain mustard
good pinch of chopped dill (from the main bunch) salt

The Fishcakes

400 g/1 lb salmon fillet – skinless and checked for bones

white of an egg
1 tbsp chickpea flour – of course, plain flour works as well

1 tsp grain mustard

juice of 1⁄2 lemon
small bunch of dill – chopped fine salt and pepper (parsley will substitute though dill goes well with the salmon)

2 tbsp olive oil

 

  • Mix all the yogurt sauce ingredients and refrigerate until you are ready to eat.
  • Cut up the salmon fillets in roughly equal-size pieces.
  • Put these in a mixer and pulse three or four times.
  • Avoid working them too much and producing slush at the end.
  • You could just cut them up in small pieces if this suits better.
  • Put the salmon in a bowl.
  • Turn in the egg white and the flour, and then the mustard, lemon juice, and the dill.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • It’s a good idea to taste the mix for seasoning at this point – the dill and the salt should come through.
  • Refrigerate if not using immediately.
  • Heat the oil to hot in a frying pan and using a dessertspoon scoop out a dollop and make a ball.
  • Put this carefully in the pan and flatten it gently.
  • Cook on a medium-high flame, crisping and browning the outside while making sure the interior cooks through–about a minute each side, taking care not to burn them.
  • Serve with the mustardy yogurt dipping sauce on the side.

 

Read Full Post »

Fishcakes in the Fast Lane…

Posted in Diabetes, Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, Robin Ellis, tagged , , , , , , , on April 4, 2012| 19 Comments »

Just received this link to my segment on the CBS-TV Morning Show in Chicago.  http://chicago.cbslocal.com/video/6884361-diabetes-can-still-mean-eating-well/

FAST FOOD!

Under two minutes from a whole piece of salmon to a fishcake in the mouth.

Below is the piece I wrote while recovering in a coffee shop, waiting for the wonderful ( i.e. full of wonders) ART INSTITUTE of Chicago to open.

With CBS anchor Kris Gutierrez in Chicago for the early show this morning (as part of their upcoming diabetes awareness program)

Dawn came up as we headed downtown with the early risers this morning–sister-in-law Mary driving us through the light traffic just a little before her normal hour.

The early morning CBS program had invited me to do a brief cooking piece to be aired as part of their ground-breaking Diabetes Awareness campaign–so great they have taken the lead on this important health issue.

It was anchor Kris Gutierrez’s second day on the job–he recently relocated from Dallas–and it was my first ever on-air demo!

So two debutantes “struttin’ with some barbecue“!

Meredith was holding her breath–she gets nervous on occasions like this.

Kris was a delight and made me feel like I knew what I was doing.

I could get a taste for this…

Read Full Post »

‘No potato’ fishcakes: Winter and Summer–a reprise.

Posted in Diabetes, Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on February 14, 2012| 26 Comments »

Below I reprise two favourite fishcake recipes that have proved popular. I think it’s worth tying them together because they are closely related–and worth sharing again for newcomers to the site.

They each have an ingredient that nicely replaces the potato normally associated with fishcakes: Smoked haddock for the first,  fresh dill for the second.

The first recipe, with smoked haddock, I once did as a starter on Christmas day–so I associate with winter.

The second recipe, with dill–reprinted from my cookbook,  Delicious Dishes for Diabetics–makes a for a tasty lunch outdoors in summer.

Dill is not always easy to find–even in summer–so I sometimes substitute chopped parsley (but dill is better!).

In truth, I’d willingly gobble either down, no matter the season!

Version 1 (Winter)

Salmon and smoked haddock

I used to love fishcakes–but the usual addition of mashed potato made them ‘off limits’ for me, once I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.  Then I found an alternative–no-potato fish cakes–and no longer felt deprived!

My American wife tells me most Americans will find smoked haddock unfamiliar and maybe even daunting and hard to find–but from starting as a sceptic, she is a complete convert now.

This is adapted from a Gordon Ramsay concept….

for 4/6

1 lb/450 gms salmon fillet–with the skin and little bones removed
1 lb/450 gms smoked haddock–undyed, if possible and skin removed
1 large shallot–grated

1 egg–whisked

1 tablespoon parsley–chopped

salt and pepper
olive oil for sautéing

yogurt–I use no-fat organic, drained in a sieve for half an hour to thicken it.

  • Cut the fish into chunks and place into a food processor.
  • Pulse to a coarse mince–not too much or it will become a slurry.
  • In a bowl, mix the fish with the grated shallot, parsley, salt and pepper.
  • Check the seasoning–raw salmon tastes good!
  • Add the whisked egg and mix in thoroughly.
  • Chill in the fridge for an hour if you’ve time.
  • Mold into little flat patties.
  • Heat the oil in large frying pan.
  • When it’s hot sauté the little cakes for 2 to 3 mins each side.
  • Serve with a small dollop of yogurt sauce (see recipe below); for this version of fishcakes, I’d omit the dill.

Version 2 (Summer)

Salmon Fishcakes with dill and grainy mustard

The dill and the grain mustard make the fishcakes special. They can serve as a tasty starter too depending on the size.

If you keep them small and cook them quickly, they’ll be crisp and brown on the outside and still succulent inside.

This version is adapted from one of my favourite British cooks, Nigel Slater.

400 g/1 lb salmon fillet – skinless and checked for bones

white of an egg

1 tbsp chickpea flour – of course, plain flour works as well

1 tsp grain mustard

juice of ½ lemon

bunch of dill – chopped fine

salt and pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

  • Mix all the yogurt sauce ingredients and refrigerate until you are ready to eat.
  • Cut up the salmon fillets in roughly equal-size pieces.
  • Put these in a mixer and pulse three or four times. 
  • Avoid working them too much and producing slush at the end.
  • Put the salmon in a bowl.
  • Turn in the egg white and the flour, then the mustard, lemon juice and dill.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • It’s a good idea to taste the mix for seasoning at this point–the dill and the salt should come through.
  • Refrigerate if not using immediately.
  • Heat the oil in a frying pan and using a dessertspoon scoop out a dollop and make a ball.
  • Put this in the pan and flatten it gently.

  • Cook on a medium-high flame, crisping and browning the outside while making sure the interior cooks through.

Yogurt sauce

2 x 125 ml pots low-fat yogurt

1 tsp grain mustard

good pinch of chopped dill

salt

Serve with lemon wedges.

Read Full Post »

No-potato fish cakes (mark 2)

Posted in Diabetes, Food, Recipes, tagged , , , on October 22, 2011| 9 Comments »

With salmon and smoked haddock .

I used to love fishcakes–but the mashed potato made them “off limits” for me, once I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.  Then I found an alternative–“no-potato fish cakes”— and I no longer felt deprived!

This is a variation on that theme.

Adapted from a Gordon Ramsay idea–these are a little heavier than “mark 1”–a winter alternative perhaps? They were lunch yesteday, but could be served as a starter or light supper.

for 4/6

1 lb/450 gms salmon fillet–with the skin and little bones removed
1 lb/450 gms smoked haddock–undyed, if possible, and skin removed
1 large shallot–grated

1 egg–whisked

1 tablespoon parsley–chopped

salt and pepper
olive oil for sautéing

yogurt–I use no-fat organic, drained in a sieve for half an hour to thicken it a little

  • Cut the fish into chunks and place into a food processor.
  • Pulse to a coarse mince–not too much or it will become a slurry.
  • In a bowl, mix the fish with the shallot, parsley, salt and pepper.
  • Check the seasoning–raw salmon tastes good!
  • Add the whisked egg and mix in thoroughly.
  • Chill in the fridge for an hour if you’ve time–I didn’t and they were fine.
  • Mold into little flat patties.
  • Heat the oil in large frying pan.
  • When it’s hot fry the little cakes for 2/3 mins each side.
  • Serve with a small dollop of yogurt on the side.
We had them with some small tomatoes–halved and roasted at 120C/250F for 1h30.

Read Full Post »

“No potato” Fishcakes

Posted in Diabetes, Food, Recipes, tagged , , on June 7, 2011| 3 Comments »

Eagle-eyed for fishcakes made without potatoes (which I prefer to avoid)–I spotted these a few years back in an article by Gordon Ramsay.

I’ve added an egg to the original recipe to lighten them a little.

A  garlicky yogurt sauce goes well with them–Tzatziki (see next post)

for 2–or 4 as a starter

200 gms salmon fillet–skinned and checked for bones

200 gms smoked haddock–undyed if possible, and skinned

2 small shallots–chopped small

an egg–lightly beaten

salt and pepper

olive oil for sautéeing

  • Cut the fish into chunks and put into a food processor.
  • Pulse to a coarse mince–too much and it will be a slurry.

The "mix"

  • In a bowl, mix the fish with the shallot, the egg, salt and pepper.
  • Check the seasoning.
  • Form into little patties or “cakes”.
  • Chill them for an hour if possible–it just helps to bind them.
  • Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large pan.
  • When it’s hot slip the “cakes” into the pan and gently flatten them a little.
  • Sauté them on each side to a light brown finish–2/3 minutes a side.
  • They should still be moist inside.

"Prêt à manger" fishcakes

We have just had these for lunch on a rainy day–with a simple green salad and tzatziki.

Read Full Post »

From my cook book–Delicious Dishes for Diabetics

Posted in Food, Recipes, tagged , , , , on April 8, 2011| 2 Comments »

…which is published on August 4th in the UK and in November in the USA, comes this recipe adapted from one of my favourite British cooks, Nigel Slater.

Salmon Fishcakes with dill and grainy mustard

I have always loved fishcakes. Must be the comfort food factor kicking in–but they usually contain 50 per cent potato, not ideal for those like me with type 2 diabetes. This recipe solves the problem by leaving the potato out! The dill and the grain mustard make the fishcakes special. They sometimes serve as a tasty starter, but today with our friend Mitch–who is working here to fix the drainage system at the back of the house–we’ll have them as a light lunch as it’s hot.

If you keep them small and cook them quickly, they’ll be crisp and brown on the outside and still succulent inside.

Yogurt sauce

2 x 125 ml pots low-fat yogurt

1 tsp grain mustard

good pinch of chopped dill (from the main bunch)

salt

The Fishcakes

400 g/1 lb salmon fillet – skinless and checked for bones

white of an egg

1 tbsp chickpea flour – of course, plain flour works as well

1 tsp grain mustard

juice of ½ lemon

bunch of dill – chopped fine

salt and pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1. Mix all the yogurt sauce ingredients and refrigerate until you

are ready to eat.

2. Cut up the salmon fillets in roughly equal-size pieces. Put

these in a mixer and pulse three or four times. Avoid working

them too much and producing slush at the end. You could

just cut them up in small pieces if this suits better.

3. Put the salmon in a bowl. Turn in the egg white and the flour,

and then the mustard, lemon juice, and the dill. Season with

salt and pepper.

4. It’s a good idea to taste the mix for seasoning at this point –

the dill and the salt should come through.

5. Refrigerate if not using immediately.

6. Heat the oil in a frying pan and using a dessertspoon scoop

out a dollop and make a ball. Put this in the pan and flatten

it gently.

Cook on a medium-high flame, crisping and

browning the outside while making sure the interior cooks

through.

7. Serve with a fennel salad and the mustardy yogurt

dipping sauce on the side.

Meredith goes for the fennel salad!

Read Full Post »