Here it is, a deliciously simple fish cake recipe that you can make in 20 mins.
Never one for fish cakes usually, I was surprised at how much of a love I developed for these salmon cakes. Perhaps its because its really easy to make, or because salmon is undeniably healthy, but I think its probably because they taste so fresh and light. So light that you don't get that awful sluggish feeling in your body after gorging yourself with dinner (even though you may have had 5 or 10 fish cakes!).
Ingredients to serve 4 as a starter or 2 for a main:
400g skinless and boneless salmon fillets
1 egg white
Handful of dill
Half a lemon
Half tablespoon of white flour
Light sprinkle of Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil - for pan frying
First off, chop your salmon into small little cubes. Place salmon into a small mixing bowl. Crack the egg and add in the egg white to the bowl, discard the egg yolk. Finely chop the dill, and add into the bowl, along with a squeeze of your half lemon. Add your half tablespoon of flour to help bind the cakes together. Finally, sprinkle a little sea salt, and grind a dash of pepper in the mixture. Now use a spoon, spatula, fork or whatever you want to stir the mixture together so that it's evenly distributed and you can see and feel with each stir that the salmon mixture has some elasticity to it. If you feel the pieces of salmon are stubbornly not holding together enough, sprinkle a little more flour. But remember we don't want it to turn into a bowl of gunge, so just a little bit of togetherness is all we're after. Place the mixture in the fridge for 10 mins (5 mins if you're short on time, or a bit longer if you got distracted by your phone - it will be fine!)
When its ready to come out of the fridge, get some excess flour and lightly dust your hands with it, and mould your fish cakes into rough balls. Heat your shallow frying pan over medium heat with the oil. When oil is simmering, gently place the fish cakes in the oil. Let them cook for 2 mins or so before flipping them over. Cook for 2 mins on this side. Repeat once more flipping both sides. If you find your fish cakes looking a tad too brown (read black and burnt), turn down the fire! The cakes should be golden brown and crispy on the outside, but just cooked on the inside allowing it to retain its fresh juiciness.
Serve with a side of charred broccoli as seen in the photo (recipe here), or a simple salad.