The title of this post may lead you to think I have been splurging on luxurious and decadent fish and seafood. This may have put you off from reading further. But, fear not. These polenta crusted luxury fishcakes have been made using supermarket “own brand” low cost alternatives.
Polenta crusted luxury fishcakes
I challenge anyone to tell me they taste cheap. Cheap in cost. YES. Cheap in taste.NO. Far from it. Adding snippets of cheap smoked salmon trimmings and bites of budget prawns most certainly provide these fishcakes with a deletable chunky texture with a refined and delicate taste. The flesh of one large baked jacket potato and a few slivers of spring onion is all it takes to bind these cakes into shape.
One other thing I have always done is coat my fishcakes in polenta, yellow cornmeal. I can’t remember where this idea stemmed from as I have been doing it for so long now but it works like a dream. The crunch and colour of polenta is something you should try for yourself. It is the most fantastic crumb coating and you only need to dip the fishcake’s tops and bottoms in it. No need to worry about the sides. No need for the egg wash, nor the flouring either.
For some reason fishcakes always remind me of The Ivy. I have never eaten them there but I remember reading articles saying they made the best fishcakes in London town. I wonder if they are still on the menu? Have you tried them and are they really that good?
I thought you might also like to read about some other fishcake delights from the web:
Thai style fishcakes with salmon & cod – Franglais Kitchen
Cod & crab fishcakes – Feeding Boys
Quinoa & smoked mackerel fishcakes – Food to Glow
Fishcakes – Hungry healthy happy
Stilton bacon & potato cakes – Greedy Gourmet . Not fishcakes but delicious cakes!
I am entering my fishcakes into a couple of challenges this month:
Seasons Food (Al Fresco) – Eat your veg & Delicieux
Credit Crunch Munch – Maison Cupcake, Fuss Free Flavours & Fab Food 4 All
Polenta crusted luxury fishcakes
Ingredients
- 400 g Frozen white fish fillets cooked then cooled and chopped into rough chunks
- 150 g Frozen prawns responsibly sourced,
- 100 g Smoked salmon trimmings finely sliced
- 4 Spring onions finely sliced
- 400 Baking potato the flesh removed and mashed roughly. You could bake this the day before to save time,
- Plenty of seasoning
Instructions
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Bake the jacket potato in the oven (200 degrees) for 90 minutes (approx),
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Bake the seasoned Basa fillets in an oven proof dish for 15 minutes, covered with foil,
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Defrost the prawns then place into a large mixing bowl,
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Add in the sliced spring onions, the flesh of the jacket potato, rough chunks of Basa fillets, chopped smoked salmon and plenty of salt and freshly milled pepper,
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Mix together with your hands until the mixture begins to form a large clump then chill in the fridge (covered in cling film) for at least an hour which allows the mixture to firm up. This enables easy fishcake shaping later on,
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Once the fishcake mixture is chilled and set, firm and shape into 6 large patties then place back in the fridge until you are ready to cook them,
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When you are ready to cook the fishcakes tip a generous amount of polenta onto a large plate and dip the fishcakes into it on both sides,
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Fry the fishcakes in plenty of oil until both sides are golden brown then finish them off in the oven (200 degrees) for 15 minutes.
Recipe Notes
These fishcakes are best served with tartare sauce. I made mine using yoghurt instead of mayo, for a lighter alternative. The fishcakes also keep well in the fridge for 2 days. Just re-heat and enjoy!
I adore fishcakes and often order them on pub menus. We don’t eat them enough at home though and I must rectify that!
I have recently become a big fan of polenta – especially polenta chips. This sounds lovely too!
Thanks for linking to my recipe 🙂
These look super yummy Laura¬ And off to visit the other suggestions, too as they sound equally delicious. Great idea to use polenta x
I’m a fan of using frozen fish, such as your basa. It is just as nutritious but a heck of a lot less expensive than fresh. In recipes like this it is just perfect, too. I also use polenta as a dusting, especially with fish tacos. It was something I grew up with, cornmeal/polenta being a staple item in the Southern (USA) household. Lovely midweek recipe, especially using leftover baked potato. PS thanks for including a link to my very first recipe. I hope my photography has improved since early 2011!
These look gorgeous. Love the polenta crust idea. I must give it ago 🙂
I love fish and fish cakes, and as people have said fish need not be too expensive. I tend to make batch and then freeze them, defrost and quickly fry or bake.
These look so yummy, never thought of using polenta in this way before! Thanks for sharing 🙂
These look fabulous Laura, and I especially like your polenta idea… will be trying that out for sure. I’ve not made fishcakes for AGES…. I really must. Thanks for including my recipe 🙂
Ooh these fishcakes really excite me and sound/look utterly lush – thank you for entering them into Credit Crunch Munch:-)
lovely lovely recipe Laura – I have not tried polenta crust and will do so as I have some handy. I like the different types of fish you have got in here. DEEElicious.
I have eaten fish cakes at The Ivy (in Dubai) and they are very good indeed. Great idea to use polenta as a crispy crust
Thanks again for submitting these lovely fishcakes to Credit Crunch Munch this month.
The round up is now published at http://maisoncupcake.com/24-thrifty-summer-recipe-ideas/ and next month’s event is being hosted by Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary.