Fish cakes

I had a few different ideas floating around today for this lovely big piece of cod fillet... I might write about my other ideas another time but tonight I wanted to get a good blend of vegetables into my family and so I thought some mild tasting, yet fresh, fish cakes would be a good start.  They were delicious.  I served them over a spread of creamed spinach and I was really impressed with them.  I think the use of cottage cheese made them lighter than I expected and for that I was grateful.  Try them, you might like them too! 

Made about 14 small cakes

Ingredients:
1 lb (500g) cod fillets
2 spring onions
2 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
good amount of salt and pepper
lemon juice
1/2 clove garlic, crushed
a good handful fresh parsley, chopped
vegetable or grapeseed oil, for frying

Method:

• Peel and cut your potatoes and place them in a saucepan of salted water.  Boil until soft, then mash.  (Don't add milk or butter, just mash them)
• At the same time, boil your fish in a pot of hot water with a squeeze of lemon juice and some salt and pepper.  Cook until the fish starts to flake away.
• Drain the fish and using a fork, flake the fish into a large mixing bowl.
• Add your mashed potatoes, salt, pepper, parsley, garlic and cottage cheese. Stir until well combined.
• Taste for seasoning and add lemon juice, more salt and pepper if needed.
• Add your egg and breadcrumbs and mix well.
• Mold mixture into golf ball size balls and place on a lined baking tray, cover with glad wrap and refridgerate until ready to cook.
• When ready, heat your oven to 350'F and heat oil in a large frypan or wok.
• Cook the fish cakes in batches, about 3-4 mins on each side.  The mixture is cooked so it is about getting the outside golden brown and crunchy as opposed to cooking the centre.  When done, remove and place on a paper towel and keep them warmed in the oven until ready to serve.
• Serve with your choice of vegetables or salad, I made some creamed spinach which worked really nicely.  Recipe to follow.