Fish cakes are Irish traditional fare at its very best, and are created by combining mashed potatoes, flaked cooked fish and herbs, then formed into individual cakes, and coated in bread crumbs before frying.
This is a perfect recipe for using left over mashed potatoes, if such a thing ever exists. But don’t worry you can always boil a few spuds for mashing to make these delicious and economical fish cakes.
Cod fish cakes may be simple, but are ever so tasty. Traditional Irish fish cakes often use salmon, or a mixture of salmon and white fish. We’ll delve into those recipes at another time, but for now, let’s make some Irish cod fish cakes.
Ingredients:
To Poach The Fish:
- 1lb cod fillets
- 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 small onion (peeled and sliced)
- 1 cup whole milk
To Make The Fish Cakes:
- 1 cup mashed potatoes
- 1 lb flaked cooked cod (can be poached using ingredients above)
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 1 or 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 large egg (for binding the fish cakes if needed)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese (optional)
- 1/2 cup flour (for dusting the fish cakes)
- 1 large beaten egg (for coating the fish cakes)
- 1 cup fine breadcrumbs (for coating the fish cakes)
- butter or oil for frying the fish cakes.
Directions:
Irish fish cakes are made from pre-cooked fish. If you ever have some left over fish you can simply flake it to add it to the mashed potato mixture.
But I confess I seldom have any left over fish, so I always poach cod for making fish cakes.
I use poached fish, since you can add extra flavor by adding some aromatics to the poaching liquid. I add some peppercorns and sliced onion to milk in a large saucepan. I bring the milk to simmering point, then reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for a few minutes before adding the fish.
Cod cooks very quickly when poaching so it’s a good idea to infuse the milk with as much flavor as possible before adding the fish. Once I’m happy that the onion has leaked some of its flavorsome juices into the milk I add the fish, and simmer it on low heat for 7 to 10 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish pieces.
Once cooked allow the fish to cool in the milk, then remove it with a slotted spoon and flake it into a large bowl. Keep your eyes open for any bones that may have escaped during the filleting process.
Reserve the liquid, which may be needed to bind the fish cakes if your potatoe mixture is very dry.
You can add the mashed potatoes directly to the flaked fish, but I find the texture of my fish cakes is smoother if I press the potatoes through a sieve first.
Next add the minced garlic, parsley, salt and pepper and combine well together.
This is the point to add grated parmesan cheese if you want to kick the flavor up a little bit.
I know this is definitely not a traditional Irish ingredient. I can even hear my granny saying “it’s far from parmesan you were raised”, but believe me this little addition takes these savory cakes to a whole new level of tastiness.
Other options for spicing up your fish cakes are to add some finely chopped sauteed onion, or a little lemon juice and dill. Now I didn’t marry an onion loving man, so we stick to parmesan cheese for extra flavor.
Now you need to form the mixture into a dough ball. Sometimes you don’t need to add any extra liquid or binding agent. However, if your potatoes are ‘floury’ as we say in Ireland, you may need about half of a beaten egg to bind the mixture.
If your mixture is still very dry, you can add a tablespoon or two of the milk left over from poaching the fish.
If you end up with a wet and overly sticky mixture just add a little flour to form a dough.
This recipe yields eight large fish cakes. Score your dough ball with a knife to help divide the mixture evenly into eighths.
Next we need to form the cakes and I find the only way to do this is to dig in and use my hands – just like our grannies did many years ago.
So using your floured hands pick up one eighth of the mixture. Pat it between the palms of your hands, and form it into a flat, round cake.
The final preparation stage involves coating the fish cakes in a breading layer. This is a typical step in most traditional Irish fish cake recipes.
Set up 3 bowls, one with flour, one with beaten egg and the other with breadcrumbs.
Coat each fish cake in flour. Dip it in the egg wash and then coat in breadcrumbs. Repeat with the rest of the fish cakes.
Now, you should have eight pretty evenly sized fish cakes ready and waiting for frying.
Next heat the butter or oil in a large skillet. I love to use a cast iron pan for these cakes.
Fry the fish cakes for about 5 to 6 minutes on the first side or until nicely golden brown.
Flip the fish cake and brown for 4 to 5 minutes on the other side. You’ll probably need to cook four cakes at a time to allow plenty of room in the pan around each piece.
Serve hot with a side of vegetables or a crisp green salad. Fish cakes were often served with parsley sauce in years gone by, but a little dash of lemon or some tartar sauce gives these fish cakes a little modern twist.
These are a family favorite in our house. I hope you too enjoy this little taste of Ireland from days gone.
Here’s the printable recipe.
Irish Cod Fish Cakes
| Serves | 4 |
| Prep time | 20 minutes |
| Cook time | 20 minutes |
| Total time | 40 minutes |
| Meal type | Main Dish |
| Misc | Serve Hot |
| Region | Irish |
Ingredients
- butter or oil (for frying the fish cakes)
To Poach The Fish
- 1lb cod fillets
- 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 Small onion (peeled and sliced)
- 1 cup milk
To Make The Fish Cakes
- 2 cups mashed potatoes
- 1lb flaked cooked cod
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 1 or 2 clove minced garlic
- 1 Small egg (for binding the fish cakes)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup flour (for dusting the fish cakes)
- 2 Large beaten eggs (for coating the fish cakes)
- 1 cup fine breadcrumbs (for coating the fish cakes)
To Make The Fish Cakes (Optional)
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Directions
| To Poach The Fish | |
| Step 1 | Pour the milk into a large saucepan and add the sliced onion and peppercorns. |
| Step 2 | Bring the liquid to simmering point. Do not boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cod fillets and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish. |
| Step 3 | Remove the pan from the heat and allow the fish to cool in the liquid. Remove the fish with a slotted spoon. Reserve the liquid, which may be needed to bind the fish cakes. |
| To Make The Fish Cakes | |
| Step 4 | Flake the fish into a large mixing bowl, taking care to remove all the bones. |
| Step 5 | Add the mashed potatoes, minced garlic, parsley, salt and pepper and combine well together. Add the parmesan cheese if desired. |
| Step 6 | Add the beaten egg and bind the mixture. If the mixture is too dry add some of the reserved poaching milk. If the mixture is too wet and sticky add a little flour. |
| Step 7 | Using floured hands form the mixture into flat cakes. |
| Step 8 | Set up 3 bowls, one with flour, one with beaten egg and the other with breadcrumbs. |
| Step 9 | Coat each fish cake in flour. Dip it in egg and then coat in breadcrumbs. Repeat with the rest of the fish cakes. |
| Step 10 | Heat the butter or oil in a large skillet. Fry the fish cakes for about 5 minutes on the first side or until nicely golden brown. Flip the fish cake and brown for 4 to 5 minutes on the other side. Cook in 2 separate batches. |
| Step 11 | Serve hot with a side of vegetables or a crisp green salad. |
Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Irish American Mom
Oh my gosh, Mairead! That looks delicious! When I was a kid, we had fish cakes made of mashed potatoes and a powdered, ground up, dried cod. (Yeah, sounds pretty appetizing, doesn’t it?) Beardsley was the brand and it is no longer made despite people still wanting to buy it! It was pretty salty.
Your recipe might be a tasty and healthier substitute for a meal from my childhood! I am going to try this soon!
Hi Patricia – I never saw dried, powdered cod flakes when I was growing up in Ireland, but they sound like some of the “convenience” foods of my childhood. Beardsley’s may have only made products for the US market. I googled the name and saw an image of an old Beardsley’s box. It even declared they were “salt” cod flakes. My recipe is not very salty. I add very little salt to most of my recipes, which is a personal preference. I think seasoning to taste is the best thing.
This recipe is perfect for adding any flavors you like to accompany fish. I like parmesan cheese but my husband loves when I add some chilli powder and lime juice to these fish cakes. There are endless possibilities.
I’m so glad I was able to bring back some tasty childhood memories for you with this recipe.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
I can’t wait to try these- they sound delicious!! I’ll be looking for your other fish cake recipes…we love fish!
Aimee – This is a basic fish cake recipe but you can spice them up, or add herbs of your choice to create many different flavor combinations. We love fish too, and these cakes are great for little ones. You can size them to suit little ones, or even create fish balls with this mixture.
Thanks so much for checking out my recipes.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Boy, those fishcakes look great!
Growing up in Boston, Mass we ate fishcakes twice a week, many times it was “Fish cakes and beans.” (baked beans.)
And lots of times my mother would bring home “already made” fishcakes in little wooden boxes right from the docks.
I always loved fish cakes!
And on fridays we had fish for lunch at school as well so we ate fish twice on fridays.
I think I’ll try this recipe. Thanks!
Hi Tom – Fish cakes and baked beans brings back memories for me too. I love baked beans and they bring out the very best in flavors of fish cakes. I grew up eating plenty of fish on Fridays too. I went to school in Ireland so we didn’t have school lunches in a cafeteria. Instead we got homemade egg sandwiches on a Friday, or cheese since no meat was allowed.
I hope you enjoy this recipe. I do recommend a little extra onion or some parmesan for extra flavor.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
I finally made these tonight for dinner! Delicious, Mairead! Everyone enjoyed them! I added onion powder, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese. Used flavored breadcrumbs outside. Will definitely be making this again! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thanks for all these tips Patricia. Parmesan is a great addition for flavor. So glad you like these.
Mairéad
My Nanna from County Clare used to make me fish cakes when I was young, reading this I couldn’t tell if the tear in my eye was from the happy memories or the rumbling in my tummy!!! Beautiful pics for a delicious sounding dish!
Louise
Delishogram.com
Hi Louise – I’m so happy to hear this recipe brought back some lovely memories of your Nanna. I’m sure her fish cakes were delicious. Looking forward to checking out http://www.delishogram.com – the recipes and photos look wonderful.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
They certainly were, I do blame her for my mini addiction to soda bread and potato cakes though!!!
Thanks, we’ve only just started out so still building up the content. If you have a spare couple of minutes it would be brilliant if you can post a couple of submissions.
All the best
Louise
Hi Louise – I’ll definitely check out your site and submit some recipes. Wishing you every success with your new website.
Best wishes,
Mairead
Hello, Mairead!
It took me a while before making these, and then another while to write this, but I wanted you to know the recipe was a success at my house! Everyone enjoyed it, and it will be added to the (mental) list of dinner possibilities! Thanks!
That’s great Patricia – I’m so glad these fish cakes passed your family’s taste test and received their seal of approval. It’s lovely to get feedback from readers who enjoy my recipes.
Best wishes, and I hope you are having a lovely summer.
Mairéad
My Mother was from Copenhagen and we ate a fish cake called Fiskefrikadeller. It uses an egg. flour and cream binder and we added in dill and chopped parsley ( and I like to add chopped capers). The cod or flounder is not cooked before making the cakes. In Denmark you can buy a premade farce and all you have to do is scoop and fry up. The cakes are not breaded so they end up with a thin crispy crust. They are served with a Danish remoulade. These sound terrific and will have to try them next time I have left over mashed potatoes.
Hi Aly – Those Danish Fiskefrikadeller sound delicious. I love good seafood and Ireland boasts some of the best fish dishes in the world. I bet fish features on Danish menus too since it like Ireland it has a long coastline. I hope you enjoy these Irish fish cakes.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
I hope to try this soon. I am a Dutch living in Ireland. I want to learn more about traditional Irish recipes.