Recipe Notes: Cod and Potato Cakes

23 September 2019

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, May 2019, also available online

A recent issue of Cook's Illustrated included a fish recipe. As I have relatively little experience or knowledge about fish cookery I was happy to have another recipe to try. This one looked to be easy to prepare, using readily available fish, and good to boot.

I halved the recipe from the magazine which serves 4. A russet potato was cooked in the microwave, cooled, then pressed through a ricer. ⅜ cup of tightly-packed mashed potatoes were put into a bowl and fluffed with a fork. In a skillet, minced green onion whites (from 1 green onion), garlic, thyme (I had to use dry thyme as the supermarket had no fresh thyme), salt, and pepper were cooked in butter until softened. Pieces of cod (other white fish could be used: hake, haddock, pollock) was added to the pan and cooked, flipping it after about 3 minutes, until it just began to flake. The cod mixture was added to the potatoes along with sliced green parts of the green onion. This was mixed, allowing the fish to fall apart. Half of a lightly beaten egg was gently stirred into the mixture. Using a ⅓-cup measuring cup, the mixture was scooped up and placed on a plate, creating four cakes that were placed in the freezer for 15 minutes then coated with crushed panko bread crumbs. These were cooked in a thin layer of oil in a skillet until brown. Preparation time was 75 minutes.

We enjoyed having these cod and potato cakes for dinner and look forward to having them again. They are easy to make and require no exotic ingredients or techniques. They have a nice crispy outside and soft inside. Foods with a crispy exterior like this generally don't work well as leftovers so it was good that we finished all four cakes at one sitting. (A "for two" recipe usually provides the two of us two dinners.) Diane thought they would benefit from a sauce, something creamy or a garlic butter sauce. The recipe in the magazine includes instructions for making a quick tartar sauce that is probably worth trying.