Fish Cakes By Tom Aikens

I used to have fish cakes all the time when I was younger, having spent a lot of time next to the sea on the North Norfolk coast.

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   1. Preheat the oven to
   200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6
   
   2. If you need to cook the fish, just very slowly poach it in some milk with
   a couple of bay leaves, 10 black peppercorns, thyme and 2 cloves of
   garlic.
   
   3. Bring the milk to a simmer and drop in the fish, take the pan off
   the heat and leave it to cool. Then remove the fish with a slotted spoon
   and flake.
   
   4. Wash the potatoes and dry with a cloth, cover a metal baking tray with
   a little coarse sea salt and place the potatoes onto the salt and into
   the oven at 200°C for approx 1 hour 20 minutes.
   
   5. You will know they
   are ready by inserting a knife into the middle and feeling it go through
   without any resistance. Cut them in half and scoop out the flesh from
   the shell with a spoon.
   
   6. Place the potato into a bowl and break down
   with a fork till finely broken.
   
   7. Place the butter into a shallow pan on a low to medium heat. Once melted
   add the onions, 2g salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaf and cover with a lid.
   
   8. Cook until soft for approx 5–7 minutes with no colour, then leave to
   cool when ready.
   
   9. Mix this into the potato and leave to cool, add the
   parsley, gherkins, capers, cooked fish and egg yolks, season with a little
   more salt and pepper.
   
   10. Mould into 70g sized balls and coat in the flour
   first then egg wash and white bread crumbs. Deep fry in vegetable or
   groundnut oil at 180°C for approx 3–4 minutes till golden brown.
   
   11. Then
   place in a high oven approx 180°C for 2–3 minutes.
   
   12. As a special treat, I like to serve the Fish Cakes with home made tomato
   sauce. For the sauce place a medium sized pan on a low heat and add
   the olive oil, heat for a minute then add the onion, thyme and garlic.
   
   13. Cook slowly with the lid on so they sweat in the pan with no colour
   and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring now and again.
   
   14. Add the white wine
   and reduce until it has evaporated completely, then add the tomatoes,
   tomato paste, sugar, salt, pepper and cook with a lid on a medium
   heat for 20 minutes, stirring now and again so the tomatoes don’t
   catch on the pan.
   
   15. Then turn the heat up for the last 5 minutes so they
   boil and reduce a little. Stir all the time when you do this, otherwise
   it will burn.
   
   
   16. Add the basil and purée in a kitchen blender till smooth,
   then pass through a fine sieve.