Oven Baked Fish Cakes

If you cook only one thing in your life, let this be it. I have made countless fish cakes—I LOVE fish cakes—but this recipe takes the cake. It is simply delicious. It is made with an ingredient I was unaware of until we moved to the UK-- smoked haddock. More delicate than smoked salmon, it adds so much to a regular fish cake. If you can not get your hands on smoked haddock, use 1 part smoked salmon to 2 parts fresh salmon or cod and don't cook the smoked salmon. 

1 pound potatoes, peeled

1 small yellow onion, minced

1 pound smoked, undyed haddock or cod

½ pound inexpensive, mild white fish (coley/pollock, cod, scrod, halibut, etc)

Small handful of chopped, fresh parsley

1 extra large egg, or 2 small ones, whisked

8 slices streaky, smoked bacon

1) Boil the potatoes. 3 minutes before they are done, add the chopped onion to the pot of potatoes to cook. Drain and set aside.

2) While the potatoes are boiling away, slip both fish into a saucepan and come close to covering with milk. Cover with a lid and gently simmer for 5 minutes, keep covered and remove from heat to steep for 10 minutes more.

3) Mash the potatoes and onions together. Add 2 tablespoons of the fish milk to the mash. Flake the poached fish into the mash, try not to brake up the fish too much. Stir in the parsley and whisked egg(s). Combine well, cover and set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, but up to 24 hours.

4) Pre-heat the oven to 200C (400F). Spray a baking pan with non-stick spray. Shape the fish/potato mixture into 8 thick ovals. Wrap one piece of bacon around each cake, tucking the bacon ends beneath the fish cake. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the bacon is crisped up and the fish cake is golden in spots.

Fish cakes sans bacon...

Makes 4 servings (2 patties each). Great served with a poached egg on top for brunch, lunch or dinner.