Trout Fishcakes with Broad Bean, Pancetta & Onion Salad

Two weeks ago,  I bought a lovely sea trout, spent ages butterflying it, removing pin bones and then overcooked it on the BBQ.  I think fish needs to be just cooked til it is one second past raw but  I was distracted catching up with my mum.

We ate it anyway and  one lot of leftovers in a salad,  I put the rest in the freezer hiding my shame amongst the bags of stock.

Yesterday  I removed the trout  from the freezer and made some fishcakes. One of my favourite foods , great for using up leftovers and forgiving of a little overcooking. I love the texture of fishcakes, crunchy breadcrumbs and soft mashed potato. They are great made with oily fish like mackerel or salmon , especially luxurious with smoked fish.

Served with a deliciously seasonal salad of broad beans, onions and
grilled pancetta .  Plenty of cut and come again leaves from the garden.

I like fishcakes with a little creamy mayonnaise, so I mixed some home-made mayo some chopped chives and finely chopped garlic.

The fishcakes let me forgive myself for overcooking the fish and yet again made me realise how much I adore leftovers , often they are so much nicer than the main event and force me to be a little more creative with small amounts of ingredients.

One confession, I have never successfully fried fishcakes they always disintegrate but baking them works just fine still creating a crispy outside , healthy and it’s easy to cook large numbers at the same time.

Sea Trout Fishcakes

8 fishcakes

400g of new potatoes , boiled
200g of fish ( in this case sea trout, normal trout would work too , mackerel of salmon)
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
1 tsp of english mustard
Salt and Pepper

100g of breadcrumbs seasoned with salt and pepper
1 egg

1. Mash the potatoes while still warm leave the skins on if they are fine
2. Add the flaked fish , onion, garlic mustard
3. Taste the mix & season with salt and pepper
4. Form into golf ball sized balls then flatten
5. Place the fishcakes in the fridge for 20 minutes
6. Beat an egg on one plate and one another place the breadcrumbs
7. Dip the fishcakes first in the egg , then in the breadcrumbs to coat
8. Place on a baking sheet and return to the fridge until you are ready to cook them.
9. Bake at 180degC for 15 minutes until golden brown.

Broad Bean, Pancetta and Onion Salad

200g of broad beans
2 slices of pancetta
1 small white onion finely sliced
1 tsp of rape seed oil
1tsp of fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp of dijon mustard

1. Steam the broad beans, and peel off the skins
2. Grill the pancetta and mix with the broad beans and finely chopped onions
3. Dress with oil, lemon juice and mustard.