These baked mackerel and sweet potato fishcakes are my first recipe I’ve created since recently deciding to try a pescatarian lifestyle for physical and mental health, as well as ethical reasons. Seafood has always been my favourite category of “meat” and I’m excited to explore more varieties of ocean/river bounty and to experiment in the kitchen like a modern-day domestic goddess mermaid. Spoiler alert- they’re super delish! And mackerel has high levels of protein, Vitamin D (something which doesn’t occur very naturally in London) and omega 3’s. It also prevents heart disease and dementia- score! I served these with store-bought, additive-free mushy peas for that extra touch of Britishness. When in Rome…
Read on for the recipe.
Makes approx 8 fishcakes, depending on how what size you want your patties to be (I like big patties and I cannot lie). Prep time: 15 mins, Chilling time: Min 1 hour, cooking time: 20 mins
You’ll need:
- 3 small-medium sweet potatoes
- 2 cans of mackerel
- A handful of Italian parsley
- A handful of dill
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup flour
- Breadcrumbs
- A small lemon
- A shallot or some spring onions
- A pinch of salt
- A little olive oil for basting
Prep:
Put a pot of water on to boil. Peel the potatoes and cut them into rough cubes. Boil until very soft. Chop the shallot (or spring onion), herbs and the garlic. Place into a mixing bowl and add the mackerel. Drain the potatoes and cool under the tap. Add them to the bowl and mash everything together. Squeeze in the lemon juice and add the salt. Start forming your patties onto a flat dish. If they are too soft or sticky to work with, pat a little flour onto the one side so they don’t stick to the dish. Cover dish and place in the fridge to chill for an hour (overnight is even better if possible).
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Prepare 3 little bowls with the flour, the egg and the breadcrumbs. Gently cover the cakes in flour, then in egg, then finally in the breadcrumbs. Add a 2nd egg and repeat the egg and crumb part of the process if you’d like a thicker crust. Arrange on a greased baking tray and baste with olive oil. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown (turn when halfway). Extra cooked fishcakes can easily be frozen for a quick lunch or dinner later.
