I love eating fish and I do try to make sure I have it at least once a week on my meal plan. The boys have started eating it more now aswell, although mostly in the form of fishcakes and fishfingers, BUT they have started trying fish from my plate which is not covered in breadcrumbs which I find very encouraging.
Seafish have just launched a new campaign with Fish is the Dish to encourage British people to eat more Omega-3 rich fish by promoting its health benefits, and as a result of this I was approached to take part in a fun recipe competition based on a Ready Steady Cook Fish theme. I was sent a parcel of ingredients which included: peppers, red onions, new potatoes, on the vine tomatoes, courgettes, chili peppers, lemons, corriander and some smoked mackerel fillets, and the aim is to create and cook a meal in 30 minutes.
I decided to make some smoked mackerel fishcakes which I know is a firm family favouite with my fussy children and OH, usually I make them with salmon but decided that smoked mackerel would make a nice change. To save time, I crushed rather than mashed the potatoes to make the fish cakes, and in an ideal world it would pay to allow the fishcakes time to chill in the fridge – at least 30 minutes before pan frying, but for this challenge time is of the essence! I decided to serve the fishcakes with roasted vegetables and tomatoes, left on the vine, and some mayo mixed with some lemon juice. and black pepper. This recipe would be a great fit with a smoker, especially with an electric smoker. This is because an electric smoker will bring the best taste, plus the convenience to your kitchen. You can select the best smoker for your house and garden here
- 3 fillets of smoked mackerel
- 750g new potatoes - washed with skin left on and cut into chunks
- 1 lemon
- black pepper
- 1 egg
- 3 small knobs of butter (I used frylight)
- sprinkling of dried dill
- flour
- 3 peppers, sliced
- 2 red onions, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 courgettes, sliced chunkily
- 1 tsp garlic
- ½ chili chopped small (optional)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 knob of butter/sprays of frylight
- Pre heat the oven to 180oC / 160oC (fan) and boil your kettle
- Take a sheet of tin foil, place the fillets in the middle and add the butter to them along with some black pepper and a good squeeze of lemon juice.
- Cook in the oven for 15 minutes
- Meanwhile cook the potatoes in the boiled water for 10-15 minutes until tender
- In a deep and large baking tray, add all of the chopped vegetables, the garlic and chili if you are using it, and the oil and mix well and then place in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes
- also place the tomatoes, still on the vine, on a baking tray, drizzle with some oil and cook in the oven also
- Once the potatoes are cooked, rinse under a cold tap to help cool them down and pat dry with some kitchen towell and place in a bowl and mash roughly with a fork
- Take the fish out of the oven, remove the skin and add to the potato along with a good dash of black pepper, the dill and the beaten egg.
- Mix well by mashing and stirring
- Form into 4 fishcakes (or you can make smaller ones if you prefer)
- Place in the fridge to firm up for 5 minutes
- place 1-2 tbsp of mayonnaise in a small bowl and squeeze in some lemon juice and add some black pepper and mix
- Add some butter to a non stick pan, remove the fishcakes from the fridge and place a few handfuls of flour onto a plate and dust each fishcake in the flour all over.
- Add the dusted fishcakes to the melted butter and pan fry for 5 minutes, turning half way through
- While the fishcakes are finishing cooking, plate up the roasted veg onto your plates and add the vine tomatoes on the side.
- Add a fishcake (or two!) on top of the veg and serve with the lemony mayo.
These fishcakes were just amazing – I do not know why I don’t buy smoked mackerel more, as it is tasty, healthy and good value for money. Even the boys enjoyed them (although they tried some on their own with ketchup!!). The roasted vegetables added a slight sweetness to the meal, but I did not mind this, and thought it complimented the fishcakes well, as did the mayonnaise accompanying the dish.
What do you think? Would this dish inspire you to buy similar ingredients to make this dish for your family? Please visit Fish Is The Dish for more ideas of how to cook fish and to read more about the benefits of eating it.
I was supplied with the some of the ingredients used in this recipe to make a dish in 30 minutes.
HELEN
I’m not big on fish but when I tried mackerel recently I really liked it – might have to try these next time!
Pinkoddy
I do need to eat more fish and this has inspired me. I also need to eat something other than crisps at lunch time so this may be just the ticket.
Dragons And Fairy Dust
I absolutely love smoked mackerel but usually have it in a salad. Loving these fish cakes, they look so tasty
allyouneedisloveandcake
I’m not a fish fan, but I do like fishcakes, so would give these a go 🙂