Fab Low Fat Fishcake Recipe

I'm sure I've told you before that I have a problem with my gallbladder and have to be careful about the amount of fat I eat.

Crafty Friend gifted me a wonderful book by The Hairy Bikers full of the everyday food they loved, tweaked to low fat.  Wonderful!

One of their recipes that I love (and have made even lower fat!) is fishcakes.....

I make up double or treble the amount recommended so that I can freeze some.

It is so simple.....

This last time I used about 500 grams or 1lb of potatoes, around 800 grams just about 1lb 9ozs of fish, I had a mix of white and salmon and I slice my spring onions (or sometimes I use chive) quite finely as I don't like to bite into huge chunks of any onion!

I boiled and mashed my potatoes, leave them to cool and it helps them to mould into rounds easily....it's also kinder to your hands than hot potato!

Poach your fish in water with a bay leaf.  Once cooked remove any skin or bones and flake it into good sized chunks...you want to know that it is fish!

So, with a wooden spoon and a delicate hand combine your mash, fish, zest of a lemon (or lime if you fancy), spring onion (or chive, you could even try coriander or flat parsley).  

Now time to get your hands dirty....pick up a lump of the mixture and mould it into a ball and then flatten and pat the sides round to prevent it crumbling apart, dip it in beaten egg and then in breadcrumbs.

I like paprika in my breadcrumbs...but I'm also going to try turmeric...it's a great health spice and cancer beater and not only has a delicate flavour, but will give white breadcrumbs a lovely colour.

Don't stick to white breadcrumbs...use your wholemeal bread too.  What I do is go through the bread bin just before a shop and ANY bread that hasn't been used gets blitzed, shoved in a freezer bag or tub and bunged in the freezer...breadcrumbs whenever I need them for fishcakes...or maybe treacle tart!

Anyways, your fishcakes should look vaguely like this......

I like mine a good size...here they are in a tub waiting for the freezer....

(Sorry it's a bit fuzzy!)

Don't feel that's the only size you can do...how about mini ones with a salad and Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce for a starter.

I have mine with wedges when my family are tucking into fish and chips!

Oh!  To cook, simply pop on a baking sheet or baking paper to avoid the need for oiling the tray and cook at 220 (200 for a fan oven), that's about Gas 7 for 15-20 mins.  Remember to take your frozen fishcakes out of the freezer to defrost (although I have been known to have forgotten this and cooked them from frozen and just lowered the temperature slightly and given it 35 mins minimum to ensure that it is cooked through!)

The fat content in these will change according to whether your fish is oily or not (watch out salmon), an egg is 6 grams of fat, I can usually get around 6-8 fishcakes dipped from 1 egg, then oil on your baking tray....or no fat content if you use baking paper.  Sunflower oil is 5 grams of fat per 5ml teaspoon.  You can keep a note of the fat content of your breadcrumbs as you fill your bag from your leftover bread that you blitz.

Looking forward to my next lot of Fish 'n' Chips!

See you soon,

Nora

xxxx