Ingredients
-
500 g potatoes, peeled and quartered
-
500 g undyed smoked haddock
-
1 cup whipping cream or 1 cup whole milk
-
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
-
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
-
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes or 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
-
1 lemon, zest of
-
3 -4 saffron strands
-
1 teaspoon cornstarch
-
2 eggs, beaten
-
salt and pepper, to taste
-
oil, for frying
-
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes until soft, then drain and mash.
- Meanwhile, put the cream in a large saucepan along with the onion and garlic and heat gently.
- Lay the haddock, flesh side down, in the cream and let it poach for 10-15 minutes, until the flesh flakes away easily from the skin.
- The cream does not need to cover the haddock entirely.
- As long as the flesh is mostly submerged it will be fine.
- Once the haddock is cooked, take it out of the cream and leave to cool on a plate for a few minutes.
- When cool enough to handle, separate the flesh from the skin, remove any bones and place the flesh in a large bowl.
- Strain the cream, put the onions and garlic in with the fish and return the cream to the saucepan.
- Add the potatoes to the bowl with the fish and onions.
- Add the chile, lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste then mix all ingredients well and form with your hands into fishcakes.
- Dip each fishcake into the beaten egg and then into the breadcrumbs.
- Set aside until you have them all formed.
- At this point, you can either continue to cooking the fishcakes or freeze them for later use.
- If you are going to cook them, heat up the oil and fry the breaded fishcakes for 2-3 minutes on both sides until nicely browned.
- Separately, mix the cornstarch into the cream, add the saffron and heat gently until the sauce is just slightly thickened.
- If you are using milk instead of cream you may need a bit more cornstarch to help it thicken.
- Serve the cooked fishcakes with generous spoonfuls of saffron sauce, some cooked greens or a salad on the side and a wedge of lemon.