Fish Cakes With Herbs and Chiles Recipe (2024)

By Melissa Clark

Fish Cakes With Herbs and Chiles Recipe (1)

Total Time
45 minutes, plus at least 3 hours’ chilling
Rating
5(1,254)
Notes
Read community notes

Bright, bold and richly flavored, these are not your typical fish cakes. That flavor is layered into every step: the fish is browned with some garlic, and both are mixed with mashed potatoes along with vibrant herbs, green chile and fragrant lime zest. Choose a sustainable fish here, any mild white fillet will work. Consult either your local fishmonger, or the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s seafood watch website, which has current information about supply. Then serve these crisp-edged cakes with a dollop of plain mayonnaise — or mayonnaise spiked with minced Indian pickles or preserved lemons.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

  • 2tablespoons olive oil, more for frying
  • 2garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
  • 1pound firm white fish fillets, such as hake, black sea bass or flounder
  • teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
  • ¼teaspoon black pepper
  • 2tablespoons dry vermouth or white wine
  • 1pound russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (2 cups)
  • 2eggs
  • 3tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro
  • 3tablespoons roughly chopped basil
  • 1scallion, white and green parts, finely chopped
  • 1serrano chile, seeded and minced
  • Pinch cayenne
  • Finely grated zest of 1 small lime
  • cup panko bread crumbs
  • ½cup all-purpose flour
  • 3tablespoons chopped lime pickle or preserved lemon (optional)
  • ½cup mayonnaise
  • Lime wedges, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

245 calories; 16 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 9 grams protein; 293 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Fish Cakes With Herbs and Chiles Recipe (2)

Preparation

Make the recipe with us

  1. Step

    1

    In a large skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add garlic and cook until golden brown at the edges, about 2 minutes.

  2. Step

    2

    Season fish with 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper, add to pan and let cook for 1 minute. Add vermouth and 2 tablespoons water. Turn heat to low, cover and cook until fish is just barely cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Move fish to a plate, keeping any liquid and garlic in skillet.

  3. In the same skillet over high heat, add potatoes, remaining ½ teaspoon salt and water to just cover. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.

  4. Step

    4

    Flake fish. Drain potatoes and garlic, and place in a large bowl. Roughly mash potatoes and garlic, then add flaked fish, eggs, cilantro, basil, scallion, chile, cayenne, lime zest and panko, and combine. Season with salt if needed. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours.

  5. Step

    5

    Place flour on a plate. Form generous ¼ cup fish patties about ½ inch thick. Dip patties into flour to lightly coat each side.

  6. Step

    6

    In a large, preferably nonstick skillet, heat ⅛ inch of olive oil over medium heat. Cook fish cakes until golden brown, about 5 to 8 minutes each side, adding more oil as needed. Move to a paper-towel-lined plate.

  7. Step

    7

    If using lime pickle or preserved lemon, stir into mayonnaise. Serve fish cakes with the mayonnaise (with or without pickles) and lime wedges.

Ratings

5

out of 5

1,254

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Jonas

My 2 yr old can't get enough. Made a few changes to give her a healthier fish cake. I use half sweet potato and huge bunches of basil, cilantro and scallions. Haven't managed to overdo the herbs. Most importantly: I bake, not fry, and they are excellent. Measure 3T with a cookie scoop onto a silpat and form into 3/4-in cakes, spray the tops with an oil mister, bake for 15 min. at 400, then flip, spray with oil and bake other side for 15 min. Cool on rack to keep crisp. Freezes well.

Lois

I've already commented on these but I just made again and I'd emphasize that the real secret is truly putting them at MEDIUM heat for the full or nearly the full 8 minutes. Crispy and delightful

Stephanie Knottingham

I used frozen cod fillets from Costco. Super easy and good!

Edison

You can. Put a sheet of wax paper on a baking pan or plate, depending on the number of cakes. Put the cakes on the wax paper and put them in the freezer until, well, frozen.
Take them out and wrap them individually in pieces of wax paper, and then put them in a large zip lock bag and back in the freezer. They're good to go.
When you take a few out to cook, unwrap them from the wax paper and let them sit out for a little bit, turning them once to dry out a little before frying.

Maureen

Since I avoid gluten, I substituted the bread crumbs and panko with pumpkin seeds I ground up in the food processor, and since I try to eliminate starchy vegetables, I eliminated the potato altogether with no reduction in bulk. In fact, I think the flavors of all the other ingredients were more prominent without the potato.

Keith

I also made these with frozen cod filet pieces from Trader Joe's. I only used a little mayonnaise at the end of the recipe...... For frying the cakes, instead of oil in the pan, I spread a little mayo on each side of the cake first. Came out crispy and moist.

Anne

Cilantro/lime mayonnaise. made this, and then served with the fish cakes.4 tablespoons fresh lime juice1 garlic clove, peeled1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)1 teaspoon Dijon mustard1 cup fresh cilantro leaves1 cup mayonnaiseSalt and freshly ground black pepper

Lea

We loved these so much we want to marry them!!! Used purple potatoes, which jazzed up the appearance a little. Lime cilantro yogurt on the side, and a butter lettuce salad. Also, no vermouth or white wine on hand, so I tipped in a little of the beer I was drinking. I'll probably do that next time, too, because I really enjoyed these with beer :)

Joan Oakland

Had half for dinner with spicy tartar sauce, yum! Then the other half for breakfast with a poached egg on top, with a drizzle of hollandaise over it. Yum again!

Pamela

Theses are very good. I substituted cauliflower for the potatoes and omitted the bread crumbs. Chilled for 3 hours. Didn't think they would hold together but they did! Used 2 nice pieces of cod. Husband loved them. I will definitely repeat these.

Lois

I took a shortcut with pre-shredded potatoes from the refrigerator section and these were absolutely sensational. Really do on medium heat and let cook well.

Sally

I made this with leftover grilled wild salmon and mashed potatoes, serving (per another commenter's suggestion) with a chipotle in adobo and lime mayo (using the juice from the lime I had already zested). Fantastic! My market always has much better prices on whole fish, so I am delighted to find such a delicious way to use the remnants.

Dick Blumenthal

Made them at least 3 times, and loved them. They were easy to make, I used both russet potatoes and also red potatoes. Chilling is essential.

ERF

I love this recipe! The second time making the cakes I added fish sauce, anchovy paste, and doubled the peppers for more flavor. For those who don't like cilantro (or don't have any sitting in the vegetable drawer that day), arugula was a good substitute. The lime mayo is so simple but so fantastic.

Bernice Glenn

I used home-ground bread crumbs instead of flour for coating the cakes. Instead of the pickle as per recipe, I serve with James Beard's remoulade sauce - mayo plus chopped pickle as part of the ingredient list.

Anchorage John

Used instant potato flakes due to time crunch. Still great!

HSK

How many cakes does this make?

Suze

One massive one, 20 small ones, 10 medium...the choice is yours! I got 14 though.

Barb

I made these as hor d’ourves, 18 cakes. I formed them while still warm and chilled for 3 hours before frying. They held together very well. Served with a chipotle lime mayo with preserved lemon. They were a hit.

Vicki

The best! I used Basa fillets and this recipe turned them into a thing of beauty. Huge family hit!

Barbara

More herbs finely diced red bell pepper. Add fish last.

Barbara

Add fish flakes last. More flavor needed if not using Serrano.

Gretta

This was a big hit at Thanksgiving. My daughter who was a strict vegetarian for years is now eating fish and I made these small enough to be used as a side dish for those also eating the traditional turkey. She made a sauce and my daughter and every one else raved about them. It was an unexpected happy addition to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

Maria Reina

These are amazing! I made the recipe as written and loved it! Then I made it again swapping the potato with riced cauliflower for a low carb option. Sauté the cauliflower until golden brown and slightly dried out, then pulse in a food processor to get the "mashed potato" texture. So good!

Cortney

This is my go-to dish when I have leftover fish. Bonus if I also have leftover potatoes - have made with roasted and mashed potatoes and both are delicious!

CD on MV

These were delicious! Especially for a dish that cleaned out my fridge. I used leftover baked wild rockfish and small amount of salmon from our wildalaskancompany.com subscription; instead of the jalapeño, sliced shish*tos from the garden; Trader Joe’s chimichurri in lieu of all the herbs, lemon not lime, Yukon golds not russets as these were what I had… Fried on moderate heat for a golden crust and warm center. Fantastic and will make again!

Mary

My family enjoyed this very much. I used one cast iron pan to poach the fish, cook the potatoes and brown the fish cakes on the stovetop (just a little olive oil is needed to brown in the cast iron). I used walleye fillets and added several chilis instead of one. I will definitely make this next time I have leftover home fries or mashed potatoes. Many thanks!!

Drgonzo777

This is an OK prep, but not perfect. I used TJ’s frozen cod. After five hours in the refrigerator, the patties barely held together. I echo many of the comments of others. Too much potato, too little spice. And this is after I doubled the amount of herbs. Next time, reduce the potato to fish ratio and double (or more) the herbs and garlic. An optimistic four stars is my rating.

AC

Delicious! Halved the potatoes, and as another commentator suggested, used homemade breads crumbs for coating instead of flour (also used them instead of panko). Put jalapeño pepper as no serrano at store. Will definitely make again.

fn

Delicious..add 2 serrano peppers.

Carol in Queens

I will try these again but will make some changes. I found these to be somewhat bland, and also too "potato-y". Next time I will add more chile, more herbs, less potato - might even experiment with no potato, and try a different binder. I made these with leftover fish (striped bass, that had been roasted whole the day prior) the left-over fish was very flavorful and moist, so I don't think that's the issue. I do think it's worth giving these another shot, they just didn't thrill me this time.

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Fish Cakes With Herbs and Chiles Recipe (2024)
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