This is a great recipe for fish lovers and those who do not like fish. It was traditionally made as leftovers from a big Sunday dinner of baked fish, mashed potatoes, and vegetables. You can do it that way or special make the ingredients for the cakes as I do now. Warning this is a multiple day process.
I usually like to make a good amount at once as it is some trouble and they freeze well. The recipe below is based on 2 cups of fish or about one pound.
2 Cups Cooked Fish (Poach or Bake the day before)
2 Cups Mashed Potatoes (Cold)
1/2 Cup Sauteed Vegetables (Celery, Onion, Peppers)
½ Cup Bread Crumbs
2 Eggs
Spray EVO (PAM) and Butter
Old Bay Seasoning, Salt, Pepper, Garlic to taste
Start with fresh skinned fish fillet, as always best from your local fishing venue but you can certainly purchase a fine substitute in any supermarket. Best fish I have used is Stripped Bass, but almost anything can be used including Bluefish as I did this June. Cod, Pollack, Halibut, Sole, and so on can be used and if you are buying choose the lowest priced fish that is fresh.
First Day
Clean and cook the fish with butter, salt, and pepper. You can bake it, or poach in a frying pan with a little water, of cook it on the grill. Easiest way is probably baking it but whichever way cook it until the flesh flakes easily with a fork.
Make Mashed Potatoes as you normally would using an equal weight of potatoes as you have fish, for example, I had five pounds of fish fillet and used five pounds of potatoes.
Crumble the cooked fish with your fingers and refrigerate that and the mashed potatoes.
Day Two
Chop the vegetables and saute in EVO and butter. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Old Bay Seasoning. Be generous with the butter as we want the vegetables nice and soft and in a butter sauce.
Add the vegetables, fish, mashed potato, breadcrumbs, and eggs in proportions as above. Knead it all together and add small amounts or stock or water if it is too thick, or add more breadcrumbs if it is too thin.
Spread wax paper on your work surface and lightly dust it with breadcrumbs. Fill a quarter cup measuring cup tightly with the mix and using a butter knife clean off excess. Scoop contents to the wax paper and repeat 12 times. Dust the tops of each mound with crumbs and flatten into a cake.
Prepare a 9 x 16 shallow baking tin by covering in foil and spraying liberally with PAM. Preheat to 475 F.
Place cakes on pan and bake for 11 minutes, then spray liberally again and flip cakes. Cook another 11 minutes or until done. Remove cakes to foil sheets to cool.
Repeat process until all cakes are cooked, BUT do not eat any at this time (I only ate 6 or the 75 cakes I made this time and Aspen ate two).
Wrap cooled cakes in plastic and then in plastic freezer bags.Now you reheat them in a pan with butter or in the microwave for 30 seconds, or freeze for up to six months.
Some pictures:
