Fish Cake

Ingredients

• cold cooked fish (remains)
• 1 onion
• 1 sweet herbs (faggot)
• salt
• pepper
• 300 ml water
• equal parts bread crumbs
• equal parts cold potatoes
• 0.5 tsp parsley
• 1 egg
• bread crumbs (for coating)

Method

Make a light stock first. Put the fish bones, head, and any trimmings into a stewpan with the onion, herb bundle, 300 ml water, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and hold it there for two hours — not a rolling boil, which clouds the liquid and extracts too much collagen too fast. You want clarity and delicate flavour, not body. Strain through muslin, pressing gently on the solids. Reserve the stock.

Flake the cold cooked fish meat into fine pieces, removing any remaining bone or skin. The fish must be cold; warm fish breaks apart into mush instead of staying intact. Combine the flaked fish with equal weights of bread crumbs and cold diced potato, the parsley, salt, and pepper. The bread crumbs act as a binder and create structure — they absorb moisture from the fish and potato while remaining light. Mix thoroughly but don't overwork it; you're looking for even distribution, not a paste.

Form the mixture into a flat cake about 2 cm thick. Separate an egg and use only the white as a binding agent — brush it over both surfaces. This binding layer holds the coating in place. Coat generously with fresh bread crumbs, patting them on so they adhere evenly. The crumbs will brown and crisp during frying, creating textural contrast.

Heat fat in a shallow pan until it shimmers — roughly 160–170°C if you're using a thermometer, or when a bread crumb sizzles immediately on contact. The fat must be hot enough to initiate the maillard-reaction that gives the cake its golden exterior. Fry the cake until both sides are light brown, roughly three to four minutes per side. The interior will warm through during this time without drying out, thanks to the potato and fish holding moisture.

Transfer the cake to a clean pan and pour the reserved stock around it — not over it, or the coating will soften. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for fifteen minutes, turning once halfway through with a wide spatula to prevent breakage. The stock reduces slightly and seasons the cake from within. Serve hot, sliced if you prefer, with lemon and fresh parsley scattered over.