What’s not to love about fish cakes? They are so easy to make that they’re practically foolproof, whether you’re cooking for yourself or for a full house. And maybe it’s their resemblance to mini-burgers, but they also happen to be a great go-to meal when you’re cooking for picky eaters. Despite being easy to make and easy to love, fish cakes made with wild-caught seafood happen to be incredibly healthy, too.
Here are 7 recipes for fish cakes that you’ll want to mix into your rotation of meals.
Chesapeake-Style Salmon Cakes
Billy Parisi’s recipe for salmon cakes is reminiscent of crabcakes you’d eat in the Chesapeake Bay, made with a bit of mayo, some onion and peppers, and Old Bay seasoning. This is the recipe to make when you want something that transports you to the marina, even if you’re just sitting at your kitchen table. Serve with a classic tartar sauce.
Fish Cake Kebabs
Another Ottolenghi fish cake, these are adapted from his cookbook Jerusalem and are cooked as kebabs on the grill rather than baked or fried. The char from the open flame adds one more level of flavor to the briny capers, aromatic lemon, and herbaceous dill in the mix. Any white fish will do, but rockfish will be the easiest to chop by hand into small dice. If you’re opting to use a food processor, make sure you don’t overprocess the fish into a paste.
Fish Cake Tacos
Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe for fish cakes (you’ll have to scroll down after the jump to get to it) are actually designed to be served in corn tortillas as fish cake tacos, topped with a lime-yogurt sauce and spicy mango salsa. The recipe suggests using plaice, a type of flatfish, so halibut would be a great substitute. However, feel free to make these fish cakes with pollock quick cut, which you can throw straight into the food processor for easy mincing.
Israeli-Style Fish Cakes
These Israeli-style fish cakes from Tori Avey, made with fresh cilantro and ground cumin, have an extra crunch and nuttiness from the addition of toasted pine nuts. Make sure you’re using fresh ones, as pine nuts go rancid relatively quickly and will add an unpalatable, bitter note to these otherwise mild fish cakes; once shelled pine nuts only last a couple of months if stored in the refrigerator. As for the fish, use raw, minced cod or halibut. Serve with something like a tahini sauce or tzatziki.
5-Ingredient Salmon Cakes
For a simple salmon cake made with a few key aromatic components that transform it into an Asian-inspired meal, try Jamie Oliver’s recipe. These salmon cakes also happen to have the shortest list of ingredients, as you don’t need eggs or something like breadcrumbs to bind them together; instead, the recipe has you nearly puree one portion of the salmon while mincing another portion into something a bit more chunky. This combination of textures will hold the fish cakes together while keeping things from getting too dense. Serve with something sweet and spicy, like a jalapeno jam or honey and pepper cocktail sauce.
Curry-Spiced Fish Cakes
Spiced up with red curry paste and loaded with blanched spinach, these zesty salmon cakes from IHeartUmami are flavorful and particularly nutritious — and they’re suitable for a paleo or Whole30 diet. You even have the option of substituting an egg for a binder that is made of ground flax seeds or chia seeds, which both produce a gel that can hold the cakes together. These would be great served with a ponzu sauce or even something creamy to balance the citrusy notes of the lime zest and juice in the salmon cakes.
North African Salmon Cakes
Made with preserved lemon, mint, cilantro, and a mix of cumin and coriander, these salmon cakes from The Oregonian are channeling the flavors of North African cuisine — even more so since they are bound together with couscous rather than breadcrumbs (though breadcrumbs are a fine substitute). Notably, these salmon cakes are made with fish that has already been cooked, so this is a great recipe to use up any leftovers you have in the fridge. Serve with a harissa mayo.
Sweet Potato Salmon Cakes
These salmon cakes from Kim’s Cravings use cooked salmon as well, so they’re the perfect way to enjoy leftovers. You’ve got even less work to do if you have some cooked sweet potatoes ready too, since that’s what you’ll be using to bind the cakes together. Serve with a creamy dill and sriracha sauce or something acidic to complement the sweetness of the cakes.
(The photo above features Irish cod cakes).
