frozendog
Posts: 1126
Location: SLO County
|
These are the fishcakes made with potato and fish. A memory from the two years I spent in New England.
First, a bit of history. In the Boston area, there are a lot of Catholics. So, fish on Friday night. Traditionally, the left over fish would be used for fishcakes for Saturday or Sunday breakfast or dinner. For people who observed the sabbath with no work, these fishcakes with leftovers could be warmed up quickly. A made-ahead meal in the day when there weren't any tv dinners. Same was true with the Boston baked beans made ahead. On to the recipe.
You need a 50/50 mixture of raw potato and fish. Really doesn't matter if you have a little more of one or the other. It will just taste a little more fishy or potatoey. This recipe makes you a better fisherman because it stretches your fish to feed more people. Two fillets plus the potatoes would be the same as four fillets.
I started by peeling two russet potatoes, then cut them into chunks.
I cook them in canned chicken broth. I fill the pot about half way with the broth so that the broth evaporates down and when the potatoes are done there is just a little broth in the pan. Then I use a fork to squish up the potatoes - not like mashed potatoes. I want texture.
Then I added some parsley, a couple pats of butter and just enough of the broth in the potato pan to moisten the potatoes.
Now on to the fish.
I cut my fillets up into small pieces, salt and peppered and then dipped in egg and rolled in Italian bread crumbs. I sauted them in a little oil.
Saute to a nice light color. Never overcook your fish.
Remove the fish from the pan and mash them with a fork. Add in 2 or 3 sliced green onions.
Let the fish and the potatoes cool a little bit. Then I combined the potatoes and the fish and seasoned well with salt, pepper, a little Montreal Steak seasoning, a little thyme, and some Chef Paul's Seafood Magic. You season with what you like. You could also throw in some other chopped vegs you have laying around, like zucchini, red bell pepper, etc. Now you should have a mixture that kind of looks like this.
Into the fridge for at least an hour to chill. The fishcakes come out a lot better when you chill the mixture first. They stay together better when you cook them.
So, at dinner time, you are ready to cook.
Make palm size patties and roll them in panko. Don't make more than 3 or 4 per pan for easy turning. You can make a couple of batches. Everything is precooked, so all you have to do is heat through and brown. I shallow fried them in a little oil with a pat of butter.
I just served it with a big salad, but those Boston baked beans would be good too.
This is a dish for people who say they don't like fish because it doesn't taste like fish - very mild. This is also a way to use up your fish if it is about to go bad and you don't want to freeze it. You can fry up the fish and make the rest of the cakes the next day.
_________________
"Mrs. Kittyfish, we'll just drive up to one more point, it's just a couple miles further, and look at the rocks. No more, I promise" |
|
Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 3:52 pm
