Potato Patty Fishcakes

 

Serves 4.

• 50 g chopped onions
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 x 185 g tin of tuna
• 1 x 185 g tin of salmon
• 40 g dry bread crumbs
• 25 g chopped gherkins
• 80 g mashed potato
• olive oil
• butter
• flour, for dusting
• 1 tbsp coarse grain mustard
• 10 g fresh or dried dill
• salt and black pepper

Melt a little butter in a frying pan and sauté the onion until soft but not brown.

Flake the fish into a bowl, then add the cooked onion, gherkins, mashed potato, mustard and dill and gently mix together. Season with salt and black pepper.

Put the mixture onto a floured work surface and roll into a fat sausage shape. Cut into discs, then shape neatly.

Put the breadcrumbs on a plate. Dip both sides of each fishcake into the beaten egg, then into the breadcrumbs to coat.

Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and cook the fishcakes on both sides until golden brown (about 2 mins on each side).

Bon appetite.

 

Perche à la Sauvigny (Perch in Cream Sauce)

Perca is the genus of fish referred to as perch or yellow perch, a group of freshwater fish belonging to the family Percidae.

This fish recipe is borrowed from Anne Willan’s “French Regional Cooking”.

Serves 6

6 large filets of medium size perch, approx. 250 g each

1 carrot, sliced

1 onion, studded with cloves

350 ml dry white wine

herbs

salt and pepper

pinch of nutmeg

150 ml water

For the sauce:

30 g butter

20 g flour

100 ml double cream or creme fraiche

3 cloves of garlic

2 egg yolks

juice of 1 lemon

parsley, chopped

salt and pepper

Lay the fillets of fish in a shallow pan and add the carrot, onion, garlic, wine, herbs, salt, pepper and nutmeg with enough water to cover by half.

Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and poach the fish for 2-3 mins. on one side; turn them over and poach for another 6-7 mins or until they flake when tested. Drain and transfer to a baking dish. Boil the cooking liquid until it is reduced to about 375 ml.

Set the oven to 230º C.

To prepare the sauce, melt the butter in a small pan and stir in the flour. Cook until foaming but not brown. Stir in the cooking liquid, followed by the cream. Season. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly and simmer for 2 mins. Beat the egg yolks in a bowl and stir in a few tbspn of the warm sauce. Pour this mixture back into the rest of the sauce and stir until well blended. Add lemon juice to taste. Pour the sauce over the fish and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Bake in hot oven for about 5 mins.

This recipe would also do for other white fish. Anne Willan suggests pike or carp.