New England Style Fish Cakes
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds firm fleshed boneless and skinless white fish fillets such as cod, blue hake, or haddock
- 2 cups of freshly made medium fine breadcrumbs. This is roughly equivalent to 6 slices of bread.
- 3 medium stalks of celery, finely diced
- 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced then chopped again until finely minced
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 3 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon dried basil
- 1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning or other seafood seasoning blend
- salt and pepper to taste
- neutral oil, such as canola, for pan-frying
Roughly cut the fish fillets into two-inch chunks and place the pieces into the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade. Pulse several times until the fish is broken down into a puree that still contains some pieces. No pieces should be larger than pebble-size.
Add the processed fish and the remaining ingredients to a large bowl and mix until uniform.
Place a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add a thin coating of oil to the pan; a tablespoon should be sufficient. Swirl the oil to coat the pan.
Working quickly, form ½-cup of the fish mixture into a thin patty and carefully place it into the oiled pan. The pan should fit four patties at a time. Once all four patties are in the pan, raise the heat to high and cook for five minutes. Carefully flip the patties and cook for five more minutes.
Transfer the fish cakes to a plate lined with a paper towel.
Repeat with the remaining fish mixture, adding a little oil to the pan as necessary.
Serve immediately.
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This addictive tartar sauce is much more flavor-packed than most alternatives. Oh yes, put it on fish, but don’t stop there. It’s an explosive change to the usual mayonnaise on a hamburger. French fries take on a whole new dimension when dipped into Tart-er Tartar Sauce. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll plan meals around it!
Tart-er Tartar Sauce
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup minced scallions
- 2 Tablespoons minced cabbage
- 1 Tablespoon minced green pepper
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons dill pickle relish
- ½ teaspoon dried dill weed
- ¼ teaspoon celery seed
Stir all ingredients together in a bowl, cover tightly and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
