Description

These Really Good Fish Cakes are a delicious combination of tender white fish, fluffy roasted potatoes, and fresh herbs, finished with a crispy golden breadcrumb coating. Pan-fried to perfection and then baked for thorough warmth, they offer a satisfying texture contrast and a burst of flavor, perfect for a comforting lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

Scale

Fish and Butter

500g / 1 lb white fish fillets (skinless, boneless, cut into 3cm / 1.2″ pieces)
60g / 4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Potatoes and Vegetables

800g / 1.6 lb potatoes (Sebago (Aus), Russet (US), Maris Piper / King Edwards (UK)) (makes 500g flesh)
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 cup green onion, finely sliced (~1 large stem)
2 large red chillis, deseeded and finely chopped (can omit)
1 tbsp thyme leaves, chopped
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
3/4 tsp salt

Coating and Frying

1 cup flour
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1 1/4 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 cup vegetable or canola oil (for frying, ~1cm / 0.4″ depth)

Instructions

Bake potatoes: Preheat your oven to 220°C / 430°F (200°C fan). Bake the whole potatoes for 75 minutes or until a knife pierces them easily. Once done, cut them in half and scoop out the flesh into a large bowl.
Adjust oven temperature: Lower the oven temperature to 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan) to prepare for finishing the fish cakes.
Cook fish: While baking potatoes, set a rack over a tray and season the fish pieces with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, then cook half the fish for about 4 minutes, turning to ensure it’s just cooked and flakes easily but without browning. Transfer to the rack to cool and repeat with remaining fish.
Sauté aromatics: In the same skillet with leftover butter, add minced garlic, chopped chili, thyme leaves, and green onion. Cook for 1 minute until the garlic turns golden. Pour this mixture and butter over the potato flesh, scraping the skillet thoroughly.
Prepare potato mixture: Add chopped parsley and salt to the potatoes. Using a wooden spoon, roughly mash the potatoes leaving some chunks intact rather than making them smooth.
Combine fish with potatoes: Gently stir in the cooked fish pieces, breaking them slightly so there are flakes but also some chunks.
Form fish cakes: Scoop about 1/4 cup of the mixture, pack it firmly in your hand, and shape into a cake about 1.75cm / 2/3″ thick. This recipe yields about 13 to 15 cakes.
Coat fish cakes: Coat each cake first in flour, shaking off the excess, then dip in beaten eggs allowing excess to drip off, and finally coat with panko breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere well.
Pan fry fish cakes: Heat vegetable or canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat to about 1cm / 0.4″ depth. Fry the fish cakes in batches for 1 1/2 minutes per side, until golden. Place them on a paper towel-lined tray. To cook sides evenly, stand them on their edge and roll slowly to brown all around.
Bake fish cakes: Remove paper towels and transfer the skillet or baking tray to the oven. Bake the fish cakes for 10 minutes to heat through thoroughly and reheat the first batches cooked.
Serve: Serve warm with lemon wedges, tartare sauce, plain mayonnaise, sour cream, ketchup, or tomato sauce as preferred.

Notes

You can omit the red chillis if you prefer no heat or want a milder flavor.
Use good quality white fish fillets for best flavor and texture; cod, haddock, or pollock works well.
Rough mashing of the potatoes ensures a nice texture with some chunks, avoid making it completely smooth.
Ensure oil depth allows shallow frying to get a crispy crust without deep frying the fish cakes.
Finishing the fish cakes in the oven ensures they are warmed through without burning the crust.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 90 minutes
Category: Main Course
Method: Frying
Cuisine: British

Keywords: fish cakes, white fish recipe, pan fried fish cakes, crispy fish cakes, homemade fish cakes