Fish Cakes

Fish cakes were one of my Dad, Ja's, "favorite foods".  My brother Jason often indulged Dad by making them for him.  I am quite fond of them too, but had not had them in a very long time.  It was a special treat when Jason made them for us for breakfast this fall. The following recipe is basically the one Jason uses.  I have added a few steps based on my experience making crab cakes.

Soak

1 pound boneless salt cod

in water for 1 - 3 days changing water at least 3 times a day.  The saltier the cod the longer it will need to go though the soak - rinse cycle.  Drain cod and place in a pot and cover with 2 inches of water.  Bring water to a simmer and let cod sit until it flakes,  Do not boil or cod will become tough. Drain, flake and mix with:

2 cups (1 pound) cooked and mashed Russet potatoes

1/2 cup onion, grated

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Form  into 10 - 12 cakes (about 3 inches in diameter) dip both sides in 

Corn meal

and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or overnight) or place in freezer for 10 minutes.

Heat in a skillet, covering the bottom surface at least 1/8 inch deep:

Olive oil or a mixture of olive oil and butter.

Place a few cakes at a time in the hot oil mixture and fry until lightly browned all over, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Placing too may cakes in the pan at one time will release too much moisture and compromise the form of the cakes (see photo at left - fewer cakes would have been better).

Pat with paper towels to remove excess oil and serve with lemon wedges and cocktail sauce and/or a mayo-mustard sauce.

Reviewed 5/22/2017