Sardine Fish Cakes with Dill and Mustard sauce
Economical, tasty sardine and potato fish cakes flavoured with dill and lemon. Soft inside with a golden crispy breadcrumb coating. Delicious served with salad and a quick dill and mustard sauce.
Ingredients
- 500 g floury potatoes e.g. Maris Piper, King Edward, Rooster, Russet
- salt to taste
- 180 g tinned sardines in oil, drained weight see Recipe Note #1
- 10 g butter optional: see Recipe Note #2
- 15 g fresh dill finely chopped
- 1 lemon, zest only finely chopped
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For the coating
- 25 g plain flour plus extra for sprinkled
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water
- 80 - 100 g breadcrumbs
For shallow frying
- oil e.g. olive, sunflower enough to come half way up the sides of the fish cakes
- knob of butter optional
Dill and Mustard Sauce
- 3 rounded tbsp mayonnaise
- 3 rounded tbsp plain yogurt
- 2 rounded tsp wholegrain mustard
- 10 g fresh dill finely chopped
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- salt optional
Instructions
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Peel the potatoes, wash, then cut into medium chunks.
Put in a pan, cover with cold water and season to taste with salt.
Bring to a boil, turn down and simmer until just tender.
Strain in a colander then leave to rest in the colander while you complete the next step. During this time the potatoes will continue to cook a little and will become drier: this prevents the fish cakes becomes waterlogged.
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Open the tins of sardines and drain them (reserve a scant tbsp of the oil if you're replacing the butter - see Recipe Note #2).
Transfer to a bowl and break them up with a fork.
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Put the potatoes back into the dried pan and mash with the butter (or reserved oil).
Add to the potatoes the sardines, dill, lemon zest, and pepper. Stir well then taste and add salt if necessary.
Transfer the mixture to a plate, tray, or suitable container, and spread it out. Put in the fridge and chill for at least 30 minutes to firm up. You can also cover it and store for up to 24 hours if necessary.
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Divide the mixture into 8 - 12 equal pieces and shape into fish cakes approximately 1 - 1½ cm thick. Transfer to a tray or board that's been sprinkled with flour.
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Put the measured flour in a shallow bowl or plate, the beaten egg in another, and the breadcrumbs in a third.
Pick up one on the fish cakes and lightly coat it in flour. Then dip it in the egg, turning so it's completely covered, including the sides. Finally cover it in breadcrumbs and transfer to a clean tray, plate or board. Tip: it's quicker and less messy if you can keep one of your hands dry.
Fish cakes can now be fried or kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours, or frozen.
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Add enough oil to a deepish frying pan so that it will come halfway up the sides of the fish cakes. Add a knob of butter for flavour if liked.
Heat the oil to medium-high.
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Fry the fish cakes a few at a time so they're not crowded in the pan. Cook until golden brown and crispy all over, turning regularly (approx 6 - 8 min).
Fish cakes can be kept warm in a low oven while you cook the rest, or transferred to kitchen paper to drain and reheated all at once.
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For the sauce, stir all the ingredients together, taste and add salt if necessary.
Serve the fish cakes with the sauce. Tip: the sauce also makes a great dressing for a salad to eat alongside.
Recipe Notes
Note #1 You can use whole, bone-in tinned sardines or boneless. Bone-in are considerably cheaper and, if you don’t mind a bit of crunch, leave the calcium-rich bones in. Check the drained weigh stated on the tins: you may need 3 tins of boneless but only 2 of bone-in (assuming you don't remove the bones yourself).
Note #2 If preferred, leave out the butter and replace with a scant tablespoon of oil reserved when draining the sardines.