Dill fish cakes recipe with parsnip purée

Name: Dill fish cakes recipe with parsnip purée
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Eastern European
Ingredients: 300g boneless white fish fillets, such as blue-eye; 350g floury potatoes, such as sebago; 1 small hard-boiled egg, finely chopped; 1 egg yolk; 1 spring onion, chopped; 1 tbsp double cream; 2 tsp Dijon mustard; 1 tsp lemon zest, no white pith; ½ tbsp chopped dill; ½ tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley; 1 tsp sea salt; freshly ground white pepper; plain flour, for dusting (use gluten-free flour if required); vegetable oil, for shallow-frying; green salad, to serve

Neil Perry

August 2, 2016

Fish cakes with dill and parsnip puree.William Meppem

Looking for a lighter winter meal? Swap those rich glazes for a no less delicious winter meal of fish cakes - a perennial winner.

Ingredients

300g boneless white fish fillets, such as blue-eye
350g floury potatoes, such as sebago
1 small hard-boiled egg, finely chopped
1 egg yolk
1 spring onion, chopped
1 tbsp double cream
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon zest, no white pith
½ tbsp chopped dill
½ tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp sea salt
freshly ground white pepper
plain flour, for dusting (use gluten-free flour if required)
vegetable oil, for shallow-frying
green salad, to serve

For the purée

30g unsalted butter, diced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ brown onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
3 large parsnips, diced
1½ cups chicken stock or water (check gluten-free if required)
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
lemon juice, to taste

Method

1. For the fish cakes, steam fish until just tender; the cooking time will depend on the thickness and type of fish, but about 5-10 minutes.
2. Cool until easy enough to handle, then flake into small pieces. Peel and chop potatoes, then steam for 15-20 minutes, or until very tender. Allow to cool slightly. Very roughly mash potatoes in large bowl, add flaked fish and remaining ingredients. Combine, but keep some texture.
3. Shape mixture into 8 patties then flatten slightly to measure about 5-6cm in diameter. If the fish cakes are too large, they will be too fragile to handle. Toss lightly in a little flour to coat. Place on tray lined with baking paper. Cover well with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. For the purée, heat butter and oil in a saucepan on a low heat. Add onion, garlic and salt to taste, cook for 8-10 minutes. Add parsnips, cook for a further 5 minutes, then add stock and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the parsnip is very soft, about 30 minutes. Season well, blend until very smooth and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.
5. Put 1cm of oil in a large frying pan for shallow-frying. Heat oil until sizzling, add fish cakes, reduce heat slightly and cook until golden, about 3-4 minutes each side. Drain well on absorbent paper.
6. Spoon the purée on to four plates, place two fish cakes and some green salad on each, and serve.