Two weeks ago, I bought a lovely sea trout, spent ages butterflying it, removing pin bones and then overcooked it on the BBQ. I think fish needs to be just cooked til it is one second past raw but I was distracted catching up with my mum.
We ate it anyway and one lot of leftovers in a salad, I put the rest in the freezer hiding my shame amongst the bags of stock.
Yesterday I removed the trout from the freezer and made some fishcakes. One of my favourite foods , great for using up leftovers and forgiving of a little overcooking. I love the texture of fishcakes, crunchy breadcrumbs and soft mashed potato. They are great made with oily fish like mackerel or salmon , especially luxurious with smoked fish.
Served with a deliciously seasonal salad of broad beans, onions and
grilled pancetta . Plenty of cut and come again leaves from the garden.
I like fishcakes with a little creamy mayonnaise, so I mixed some home-made mayo some chopped chives and finely chopped garlic.
The fishcakes let me forgive myself for overcooking the fish and yet again made me realise how much I adore leftovers , often they are so much nicer than the main event and force me to be a little more creative with small amounts of ingredients.
One confession, I have never successfully fried fishcakes they always disintegrate but baking them works just fine still creating a crispy outside , healthy and it’s easy to cook large numbers at the same time.
Sea Trout Fishcakes
8 fishcakes
Dress with oil, lemon juice and mustard.
