Rick Stein’s Smoked Haddock, Leek and Cheddar Fishcakes
Strong cheddar cheese, subtle leeks and mashed potatoes are the perfect contrast for smoked haddock in these classic fishcakes from Rick Stein. As seen on ITV's This Morning.
From the book
Introduction
When you go supermarket shopping these days you see chiller cabinets full of fishcakes, testimony to how much they are loved. It was noticeable when I made three television series in Cornwall recently that one of the most popular of the dishes I cooked was a recipe from the late Barry Humphries for fishcakes with capers and pink peppercorns. My wife, Sas, and I have such fond memories of Barry and so here is another fishcake that I’m sure he would have liked, containing smoked haddock which goes very well with leek and strong Cheddar cheese. The only thing I like to serve with these is some soft lettuce.
Ingredients
| 600g | King Edward potatoes, peeled and cut into 5cm chunks |
| 350g | undyed smoked haddock |
| 10g | butter |
| 225g | leeks, trimmed and finely sliced |
| 75g | vintage or mature Cheddar, coarsely grated |
| Small handful | of parsley, chopped |
| salt and black pepper | |
| To coat and fry: | |
|---|---|
| 50g | plain flour |
| 2 | eggs, beaten |
| 100g | panko breadcrumbs |
| vegetable oil, for frying |
Method
Cook the potatoes in a pan of well-salted water (1 teaspoon of salt per 600ml) for 10–15 minutes. Once tender, drain the potatoes and leave them to dry in a colander for a few minutes, then mash well.
While the potatoes are cooking, put the haddock in a pan with about 500ml of water. Bring to the boil, then immediately turn off the heat, cover the pan with a lid and leave to stand for 8–10 minutes. Lift the fish out and when it’s cool enough to handle, flake the flesh and discard the skin and any bones.
In a separate pan, melt the butter and gently fry the leeks until soft, allowing any liquid to evaporate.
In a large bowl, mix the potatoes with the cooked leeks, grated cheese and parsley, then season generously with salt and black pepper. Gently mix in the fish, trying not to break the flakes up too much. Form into 6 patties.
Put the flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs in 3 separate bowls. Dip each patty into the flour, egg, then breadcrumbs. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the fishcakes for 4–5 minutes on each side, until golden. Keep the fishcakes warm in a low oven if frying in a couple of batches.
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