I think of smoked fish as a very wintery taste, and am very fond of the occasional kipper or piece of smoked haddock for supper. Smoked haddock works exceptionally well in fish cakes. I know I should have some seasonal winter vegetables with these soft little cakes but somehow nothing seems to work quite as well with them as frozen peas.
Serves 3 (makes about 9)
 
smoked haddock – 400g
milk
potatoes – 400g
saffron stamens – a large pinch
parsley- a few busy sprigs
olive or groundnut oil for cooking
 
Set the oven at 200˚C/Gas 6. Put the smoked haddock in a shallow baking dish and pour in enough milk, or milk and water to just cover. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the fish is perfectly tender and will peel easily from its skin.

 

Peel the potatoes, cut them in half and boil in lightly salted water till tender enough to mash. Drain, then mash them roughyl with a fork or potato masher. In this instance I prefer them loosely mashed rather than whipped to a smooth purée.

 

Soften the saffron stamens in a little of the milk from the fish. Peel the fish from its skin and break the flesh up with a fork. Again, I think a little texture is required here, so don’t flake the fish too finely. Mix it with the soaked saffron, the potato, a seasoning of salt and
black pepper and enough of the chopped parsley leaves to give two large tablespoons. You should have enough mixture for nine croquettes.

 

Remove large, heaped tablespoons of the fish mixture and shape them roughly into ovals or rounds. You can do this with lightly floured hands or with two tablespoons. Set the little croquettes aside for half an
hour or so in the fridge, to give them a chance to settle.

 

To cook them, heat a shallow level of oil in a non-stick frying pan – about 2 tablespoons. When it is quite hot, slide in the croquettes, they should sizzle immediately. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes on each side, turning them tenderly as each side colours. They are fragile, so don’t play with them. Remove with a spatula and drain briefly on kitchen paper before serving.