Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and flavored to the nines, these fish cakes are a delight to eat.

Thankfully, the fish cakes appeal to both kids and adults. Have you had fish cakes before? If not, you’re in for a treat when you make this fish entree!

A few weeks ago, I picked up two 12 ounce bags of frozen cod at the local grocery store. Lucky for me, the special was buy one get one free on the bags of frozen fish. I also wanted to make a horseradish dip to go with the fish cakes, so I procured items for the dip as well.

The only drawback to the Joy of Cooking recipe I tweaked and used for the fish cakes is it can seem to take forever to make them if you don’t broil the fish ahead of time. In order to avoid that feeling, I broiled the cod in the morning, and after it cooled a little, refrigerated the cooked fish in the refrigerator until closer to dinnertime.

Also, I prepared the horseradish sauce in the morning, and lightened it using a combination of fat free and reduced fat sour cream. I also omitted the hot red pepper sauce, as the result would’ve been too spicy for our family. And, I knew from past experience that the horseradish cream recipe can easily be halved (it makes quite a lot).

In doing some of the cooking ahead of time, the prepping for the fish cakes seems much easier. I love it when making an involved entree seems simple!

If you like it spicy, add 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper to the breading mixture. If not, do what I did. I omitted the ground red pepper from the fish mixture, and reduced the amount of salt by 1/4 teaspoon. I also used Progresso plain bread crumbs, not homemade bread crumbs. I found that in using prepared bread crumbs I only needed 1 cup instead of the 2 cups called for in the original recipe. I also used light mayonnaise instead of regular. In all, this is a great Joy of Cooking recipe, and one that lends itself well to lightening and reducing sodium if needed.

Because the fish cakes you form contain the cooked fish, they saute very fast. Amazingly, you only need to cook them two minutes each side.

Broiling the fish

Preheat to broil

Place cod fillets on a broiler pan (about 1 1/2 pounds fresh or defrosted cod for 4 servings). Lightly season with a small pinch of kosher salt. Place a pat of butter on top of each fillet. Broil for 7 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before putting in a container and refrigerating the cod for later.

Horseradish Cream

• 1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup fat free sour cream
• 1 tablespoon drained horseradish
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh dill
• small pinch of salt, to taste

Mix above ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate the sauce until needed.

Fish Cakes

serves 4 (2 fish cakes per person)

Combine thoroughly in a large bowl:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups cooked and flaked fish (an oily fish makes the cake more moist; salmon, snapper, halibut and cod are recommended)
• 5 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 2 celery stalks, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

On a big plate spread out

• 1 cup plain breadcrumbs

Once the mixture is well combined, form 8 fish cakes. Be sure to firmly press together the fish cakes so they do not fall apart. Place each fish patty into the breadcrumbs so that all sides are coated with breadcrumbs.

Over medium heat, in a cast iron pan or other large skillet, put:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (add more if need be)

Put fish cakes into the hot skillet. You’ll probably end up doing two batches like me (4 fish cakes each batch). Cook fish patties ’til browned on both sides, about 2 minutes each side. Serve with the delicious horseradish cream sauce. I like to serve brown rice, black beans, and a fresh green salad with this dish. Enjoy!

Photo by Kelly Estes