Fried Fish Cakes

Ingredients

• 1.1000 gram fish, kingklip; or mixture of hake and kingklip; minced
• 2.1 carrot, minced with the fish
• 3.onions, 4–5 large; sliced and fried; minced and added
• 4.3 eggs, beaten until frothy
• 5.5 millilitre dried parsley
• 6.5 millilitre fish spice, South African fish spice blend
• 7.5 millilitre salt
• 8.5 millilitre sugar
• 9.black pepper, to taste
• 10.matzo meal, ⅓ cup
• 11.15 millilitre oil
• 12.plain flour and breadcrumbs, ⅔ cup flour and ¼ cup breadcrumbs mixed; for coating. For Passover: use two-thirds potato flour and a third cakemeal instead.
• 13.oil, for deep frying; medium to hot

Method

1. 1.Mince fish with the carrot. Mince the fried onions and add most of them to the minced fish.
2. 2.Beat the eggs until frothy. Add to the fish with the rest of the seasonings. Mix well with hands.
3. 3.Only add water if needed — most times fish gives off a lot of liquid. Taste and adjust seasonings.
4. 4.Dip hands in water and roll fish into balls. Wet hands give smooth balls and prevent the fish from sticking to hands. Flatten the balls slightly.
5. 5.Roll each ball in the flour and breadcrumb mixture. Two-thirds potato flour and a third cakemeal may be used for Passover.
6. 6.Put fish cakes on greaseproof paper on board in fridge for an hour or two to firm.
7. 7.Fry in medium to hot oil, fairly slowly, till crisp and golden — approx 15 minutes. Drain well.

Notes

• Fish spice = South African spice blend for fish (similar to Old Bay seasoning).
• This quantity makes about 20 medium-size fish cakes.
• Chilling before frying helps the cakes hold their shape.
• See also: Curried Fish Cakes Sauce — a separate apricot curry sauce to serve with these.
• Gertrude's No-Mince Fish Cakes (also in this collection) uses potato as a binder instead.