Salmon Fishcakes with Wilted Greens

This dish was a classic at my first restaurant, Braeval, proving that food doesn't have to be 'fancy' to be good. I believe fishcakes deserve the best ingredients possible and shouldn't be regarded as an opportunity to clear all the leftovers out of your fridge. I've found that coating the fishcakes with breadcrumbs is easier to do if the patties are frozen first and, of course, cooking them from frozen makes them an ideal standby dish.

Serves 4-8

Ingredients

50g (2 oz) butter
450g (1 lb) salmon fillet, skinned and boned
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Freshly ground sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 long red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
450g (1 lb) mashed potatoes
3 tablespoons flatleaf parsley, chopped
4 spring onions, finely chopped
100g (4 oz) plain flour, sifted and seasoned
2 eggs
250g (9 oz) fresh white breadcrumbs
Sunfower oil, for deep frying
Wilted greens to serve
Vegetable Butter Sauce to serve (optional)

Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/Gas 8. Use half the butter to grease a roasting tin big enough to hold the salmon fillets comfortably. Dot the remaining butter over the fish in pinch-sized lumps. Sprinkle the lemon juice over and add salt and pepper and the chopped chilli. Bake the fish for approximately 5 minutes, until just cooked, allowing the fish to be slightly undercooked in the centre. Once out of the oven, allow the fish to stand for 5 minutes, then flake. Reduce the oven temperature to 150°C/300°F/Gas 2.

Put the mashed potato (this can be hot or cold) into a large mixing bowl and add the fish, parsley and spring onions. Fold together with a wooden spoon until the fish is well mixed through. Taste and adjust your seasoning if required. With floured hands, shape the mixture into eight patties by taking handfuls and moulding on greaseproof paper. Arrange the fishcakes on a tray and freeze for a couple of hours, until they are solid enough to handle.

To finish the fishcakes, put the flour on a shallow plate, beat the eggs in a shallow bowl and spread the breadcrumbs out on a tray. Dust each fishcake with flour, then dip into the beaten egg and, finally, roll in the breadcrumbs, covering them thoroughly. At this stage you can freeze them or cook them straight away.

To cook straight away, heat a heavy-based pan or deep-fat fryer, one-third full of sunflower oil, to 180°C/350°F. Place the fishcakes in the pan and deep-fry them for 4-5 minutes, until nicely golden in colour. If cooking from frozen, place the deep-fried fishcakes on a baking sheet covered with a double thickness of kitchen paper. Place the tray in a low oven (150°C/300°F/Gas 2) for approximately 45 minutes - this allows them to defrost and to warm through completely.

Serve with the wilted greens, and some vegetable butter sauce for a real treat!

© Nick Nairn

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