Fish cakes are a different but tasty way to enjoy your fish. Despite the fact that they are called “cakes” they are not actually sweet, but depending on how you cook them they can really pack a punch. Tilapia Fish Cakes are healthy yet delicious, perfect for a light lunch or a snack and are a definite must.
So, if you have time this weekend and fish is on the menu then try these out. Cost effective, with a few simple ingredients and an easy recipe to follow, what is stopping you?
Preparation & Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4 – 6
Ingredients
- 400g of tilapia (or any fish – salmon, haddock, cod), skinned and deboned
- Salt and black pepper
- Spring onions finely chopped
- 450g of potato, peeled and chopped
- 1 tbsp of butter
- 75g of sweet corn (optional)
- Handful of grated cheese (cheddar preferably)
- 1 large egg, beaten
- Flour, for dusting
- Olive oil, for frying
Method
In a pot of boiling water add a pinch of salt and boil the potatoes until they are soft and easy to pierce through. Drain them well and leave them on a low heat for 1-2 minutes; to evaporate any excess liquid. Mash the potatoes with a tablespoon of butter, and leave to cool.
Season your fish with salt and pepper; and bake or fry it, (cook it the way you usually cook it). Once cooked remove any bones and flake the fish into smaller pieces.
Chop your spring onions and grate your cheese. Gently mix the fish, spring onions, cheese, sweet corn and mashed potato together. Add more salt and pepper to taste, and form into medium patties (the cooler the mash potato is, the easier it will be to form the patties).
Line a baking tray with foil or grease proof paper. Beat your egg, pour it into one bowl and scatter flour in the other. Dip the patties in the egg and then into the flour and arrange them on the baking tray.
If the patties feel very soft put them in the fridge for at least half an hour to firm up. If you want to save any for another day, wrap each one individually in cling film and freeze them.
Once firm, heat olive oil in a large frying pan, fry your fish cakes for 5 – 7 minutes on each side until golden brown all around.
Serving
Serve with a lovely fresh salad and a dressing of your choice, or some tasty mixed greens. The great thing about these is that you can store them in the freezer for another day and they won’t lose their flavour. They also make a scrumptious snack and will go down a treat with the kids,a perfect way to get them to eat fish and veggies.
You can also substitute the sweet corn with any other veggies like peas or tomatoes; and of course you can use any fish as suggested above. Enjoy!!
Kanta Temba is a cake maker and decorator. She is also the owner and founder of Kanta Kakes – cake shop.
You can find her work on www.kantakakes.com. Follow her on twitter @KantaKakes and Instagram @KantaTemba.
I love fish especially Tilapia but if there is one product I avoid is the Tilapia imported from China as this fish is practically fed on feces simply to reduce costs and satisfy international demand.
@ jay Jay, i did not know that you can now buy fish that come from china in Zambia. Fish travelling all these miles, its a shame to the government and people of Zambia, just shows how as a country we do not have any agriculture policy and how lazy we are as a people that we can not even venture into fish farming.
It’s really sad, Zambia’s rivers are depleted due to over fishing. ..it’s no wonder Fishermen are being imprisoned in Zimbabwe. Frozen prepackaged fish should be carefully examined on the label to see the country of origin.