Everything in Moderation!

As part of a new “Everything In Moderation” series of recipes, let me introduce you to the mighty fish cake, and to be exact, a new recipe for Salmon Fishcakes with Oatcake Crumb. “Dry January” is a distant memory for some and we’ve all (probably) over indulged on Pancake Day and Valentine’s Day, however, I am still trying to watch what I eat after a pretty spectacular “blow-out” over the festive period! It’s inevitable that along with the snow on the ground, the howling winds and driving rain we all seem to be experiencing lately, that “good hearty food” is being set on the family table every evening – it’s that desire for “rib-sticking” casseroles and stews, along with steamed puddings and “bangers & mash” that feeds our tummies and our souls during these lean winter months, and it’s totally understandable.

One of my favourite meals is fish cakes and chips, or fish fingers and chips, it’s a fabulous family supper dish that everyone seems to love. But, commercial fish cakes are loaded with fat, as they are often deep-fried before they are frozen and are also packed with wheat, additives and e-colours – NOT nice; so, for a comforting mid-week family supper and in collaboration with Nairn’s Oatcakes, I have created a new fish cake recipe that has NO flour or breadcrumbs in it, is packed with fresh herbs as well as nutritious tinned salmon and has a nutty oatcake crumb. The fish cakes are fried in a LITTLE vegetable oil, are not deep-fried and are served with mushy peas (or fresh garden peas) and salad. There’s NO need to serve them with any extra carbs (as in chips, mashed potato or bread & butter), as they already contain potatoes in them, and are very filling.

Today’s recipe has an impeccable heritage, and is based on a Wartime recipe where “everything in moderation” was a necessity and not a luxury, it doesn’t use flour, and can be made gluten-free if you use Nairn’s Gluten Freen Oatcakes; it uses tinned salmon for convenience, but you could use cooked fresh salmon too – just poach salmon fillets in a little water before adding them to the potato and herb mixture. I’ve “modernised” it for today’s tastes, as the original recipe used dried eggs and margarine, and I must say that the day I made these fish cakes they swam off the table in double-quick time! I used Nairn’s Fine Milled Oatcakes in my recipe, but their Rough Oatcakes would also work very well as the oatcake crumb. You can make a batch of these fish cakes ahead of time and pop them in the freezer for a hassle-free mid-week family tea, which is what I did when I made them a second time.

The health benefits of oats has been widely publicised recently, and what I love about this recipe is just how convenient it is to make, with tinned salmon (rich in Omega 3 oils) and oatcakes, which make a FABULOUS nutty crumb. Oatcakes contain a few simple ingredients, mainly oats, and there are NO artificial nasties in them, and no added sugar. Oatcakes are high in fibre and low in GI, so they make you feel fuller for longer, as well as keeping hunger at bay. They are easy to use, just pop open a box which contains individual sealed packets for freshness, and unlike bread, they don’t go stale after a few days….so, as I mentioned before, a GREAT store-cupboard ingredient to have. If you are an oatcake fan, as I am, you can see all my other Oatcake recipes that I developed for Nairn’s here:

A Simple Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs on Oatcakes

Great for breakfasts everyday

Gluten Free Fruit, Sausage & Herb Stuffing Loaf

Perfect with ALL roast dinners 

A Duet of Canapés and Champagne

Just in time for Valentine’s Day!

I hope you enjoy my latest recipe, and do keep popping back as I develop new oatcake recipes for special occasion and every day eating! Karen

Salmon Fishcakes with Oatcake Crumb

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Serves	10 to 12 fishcakes
Prep time	20 minutes
Cook time	30 minutes
Total time	50 minutes
Allergy	Egg, Fish
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish, Snack, Starter
Misc	Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Hot
Occasion	Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Valentines day
Region	British
By author	Karen Burns-Booth

Based on a Wartime recipe, this healthy and filling recipe for fish cakes doesn't use flour, and also uses tinned salmon for convenience. Packed with fresh herbs and coated in nutty crumbled oatcakes, they would make a wonderful midweek family supper dish when served with mushy peas and salad. (Can be frozen before cooking)

Ingredients

• 400g potatoes, after peeling (or cold mashed potatoes)
• 25g salted butter
• 418g x tin of pink salmon, drained
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon creamed horseradish sauce
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
• 1 large free-range egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• 2 x sachets (14) fine or rough Nairns Oatcakes
• Vegetable oil, to fry

Note

Based on a Wartime recipe, this healthy and filling recipe for fish cakes doesn't use flour, and also uses tinned salmon for convenience. Packed with fresh herbs and coated in nutty crumbled oatcakes, they would make a wonderful midweek family supper dish when served with mushy peas and salad.  (Can be frozen before cooking)

Directions

Step 1	Boil the potatoes if not using cold mashed potatoes, until soft. Add the butter and mash them well, until there are no lumps. Set aside to cool.
Step 2	Place the oatcakes into a large plastic bag and bash them with a rolling pin until they are fine crumbs; you can also put them into a food processor and pulse them to make crumbs. (You need very fine crumbs with no large pieces)
Step 3	Place the drained salmon into a bowl and trim any skin off it, as well as discarding any bones; flake the salmon and then add the cold mashed potatoes, parsley, chives, creamed horseradish sauce, white pepper and sea salt flakes. Mix well but gently, as not to mash the fish up too much, cover and allow to chill in the fridge for half an hour. (You can chill the mixture overnight for convenience)
Step 4	When you are ready to cook the fish cakes, take the mixture out of the fridge, put the beaten egg and oatcake crumbs into 2 shallow bowls and taking a spoon of fishcake mixture, shape it into a patty, then dip it into the egg before coating it all over with the crushed oatcake crumbs. Continue to do this until all of the mixture has been used. (At this stage the fish cakes can be frozen – place them into a container with paper between each fish cake and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost overnight in the fridge)
Step 5	Heat some vegetable oil in a large frying pan and add the fishcakes once the oil is hot – cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until they are golden brown and crisp, keeping the cooked fishcakes warm in a low oven.
Step 6	Serve straight away with peas or mushy peas and salad. (You can serve them with chips too, but as they already have potato in them, I like to serve them with no extra carbs)

 (This is RECIPE FOUR with my ongoing partnership with Nairn’s Oatcakes)

*Commissioned work with Nairns*