Lunch

Fish cakes

These are simply the best fish cakes. It might take a little extra effort to make a thick béchamel as well as mashed potato, but once you've made them, I know you'll agree it is worth the effort
12
30M

Ingredients

Béchamel sauce
To serve

Method

Béchamel sauce

1.Make the béchamel sauce first so that it cools. In a saucepan, melt the butter on low heat. Add the flour and stir to form a paste. Allow to cook, stirring for 2 minutes, then slowly add the milk and bay leaf.
2.Stir or whisk until there are no lumps.
3.Increase the heat slightly and stir until the sauce thickens and the flour has completely cooked – about 7-8 minutes. You shouldn’t be able to detect any flour when you taste it.

Fish cakes

4.In another bowl, mix the fish, potato and herbs. Add cooled béchamel and mix.
5.Set up three plates, one with seasoned flour, one with beaten egg and one with breadcrumbs.
6.Shape the fish cakes by rolling heaped tablespoons of the fish mixture into small sausage shapes. Roll each one in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs and set aside.
7.Fill a medium-sized saucepan with enough cooking oil to come halfway up the pot and turn it to medium heat. Do not leave the saucepan for a minute!
8.Once hot enough (small currents will form on the bottom of the pot but it will not reach smoking point), fry the fish cakes, 3 to 5 at a time, by lowering gently into oil. If the oil is not hot enough, the fish cakes will sink and melt, instead of floating and frying, so test one first.
9.Fry in batches until golden brown all over (turn them if you need to, but they often do it themselves). Remove and drain on a paper towel.

To serve

10.Serve sprinkled with extra chopped parsley, lemon zest, salt, lemon wedges and mayonnaise.

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