Salt Cod Fish Cakes Recipe with Leftover Mash and Caramelised Onions

This salt cod fish cakes recipe starts with Icelandic salt cod, soaked for 36–48 hours, poached, and mixed into leftover mash. The cakes are coated in buckwheat sourdough crumbs and fried in olive oil until the crust is brown. They are my salt cod answer to the smoked trout fish cakes I make with a porridge oat crust.

Icelandic Salt Cod from Barcelona

My salt cod is Icelandic, from a specialist fishmonger in Barcelona, and I keep it in the freezer. In Spain it's bacalao. Thick loins like these need 36–48 hours in water, changed every 6–8 hours, before they're ready to cook. It's the slowest part of the whole job, and it's all waiting.

Caramelised Onions

A couple of teaspoons of slowly caramelised red onion go into the mix. I make a batch in advance and keep it for occasions just like this. Cook the red onions in olive oil over a very low heat for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chopped garlic towards the end, then set aside to cool slightly.

Salt Cod Fish Cakes Recipe – Ingredients

Makes 2 large fish cakes

The Fish Cakes

• 200g salt cod, soaked weight
• 200g leftover mash
• A couple of teaspoons of caramelised red onion with garlic
• Chopped parsley
• White pepper
• A handful of buckwheat sourdough breadcrumbs
• 1 small to medium organic egg, beaten, used in both the mix and the coating
• A little chickpea flour

The Coating

• Chickpea flour, enough to dust
• The beaten egg, as above
• Buckwheat sourdough breadcrumbs, enough to coat
• Red chilli flakes
• Black pepper

To Fry and Serve

• A couple of tablespoons of olive oil
• Lamb's lettuce
• Remoulade

Method

1. Soak the salt cod. Soak it for 36–48 hours, changing the water every 6–8 hours.
2. Poach the cod. Poach the soaked cod lightly in water for 6–8 minutes, at a bare simmer of 80–90°C. No bubbling, just tiny movement.
3. Make the mix. Break the poached cod into the mash. Add the caramelised onion, parsley, white pepper, a handful of breadcrumbs, some of the beaten egg and a little chickpea flour, and mix together.
4. Shape and chill. Shape into two large fish cakes and chill to firm up. Allow a minimum of 30 minutes, 1–2 hours is best, and overnight gives the firmest cakes. In a rush, put them in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm the surface, then in the fridge for another 15–20 minutes.
5. Make the crumb. Mix the buckwheat sourdough breadcrumbs with the red chilli flakes and black pepper.
6. Coat. Coat each fish cake in chickpea flour, then the rest of the beaten egg, then the seasoned crumbs.
7. Fry. Fry in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a small frying pan over a medium heat for 4–5 minutes a side, until the crust is brown. Rest for 2 minutes.
8. Serve. Serve with lamb's lettuce and a big dollop of remoulade.

A Few Notes

The cakes. One of mine stayed firm and the other split a little in the pan, nothing to worry about. Chilling them first is what firms them up.

The serving. I served them with lamb's lettuce and a big dollop of remoulade. They tasted great.

Nearly K-Salat – A Homemade Danish Remoulade Recipe

Smoked fish instead. If you'd rather use smoked fish, my version uses smoked trout and a porridge oat crust.

Smoked Trout Fish Cakes – A Scottish Recipe with Oats

More salt cod. For a very different way with bacalao, try this.

Ancient Egyptian Recipes – Salt Cod with Herb Dressing

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This salt cod fish cakes recipe is featured in my Inland Fish & Seafood and Spanish Recipes hubs.

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Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef