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Close up of smoked haddock fish cakes with tomato relish and side salad.
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5 from 3 votes

Indian Spiced Smoked Haddock Fish Cakes with Tomato Relish

These Indian spiced smoked haddock fish cakes are highly flavoured and aromatic without being fiery hot. Served with the homemade tomato relish and a simple salad, they make an excellent supper option.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Worldwide
Servings: 4
Calories: 495kcal
Author: Jane Coupland

Ingredients

For the Fishcakes

  • 250 g (10 ½ oz) Smoked haddock
  • 80 ml (⅓ cup) Milk
  • 900 g (32 oz) Baking potatoes Such as Maris Piper
  • 2 tablespoon Butter
  • 1 Leek about 200g (7 oz)
  • 1 Green chilli medium heat
  • 1-2 Garlic cloves
  • 1 ½ teaspoon Minced ginger About 15g (½ oz) piece before being minced
  • ½ teaspoon Ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon Ground coriander
  • ½ teaspoon Garam masala
  • ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon Ground black pepper
  • 15 g (½ oz) Fresh coriander leaves
  • 150 g (5 ¼ oz) Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 tablespoon Flavourless oil e.g. groundnut or sunflower
  • ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder or other mild chilli powder

For the Tomato Relish

  • 1 tablespoon Flavourless oil such as groundnut or sunflower
  • 1 Shallot
  • 1 Garlic clove
  • 1 ½ teaspoon Minced ginger About 15g (½ oz) piece before being minced
  • ½ teaspoon Ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon Ground coriander
  • ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder or other mild chilli powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon Ground black pepper
  • 3-4 Ripe tomatoes
  • 15 g (½ oz) Fresh coriander leaves
  • 1-2 teaspoon Lemon juice

Instructions

Stage 1 Prepare the Fish

  • Lay the fish in a pan and pour over the milk
  • Grind a little black pepper over the fish, then cover with a lid and cook gently for around 6-8 minutes until the fish is cooked through (add a little more milk if necessary if the pan gets dry)
  • Remove from the cooking liquid (reserve) and flake the fish into small pieces using a fork. Set aside

Stage 2 Prepare the Potato

  • Put a large pan of salted water onto the hob and bring to the boil
  • Meanwhile peel and chop the potatoes roughly into smallish chunks (about 2.5 cm cubes)
  • Add to the pan, cover and gentle simmer for approximately 20 minutes until fork tender
  • Drain the water and use either a potato ricer or a potato masher to mash the potatoes until smooth
  • Add 1 tablespoon of butter and enough of the reserved cooking liquid from the fish to form a medium soft mash (add a little of the liquid at a time until the desired texture is reached). Do not season at this point

Stage 3 Prepare the Leeks

  • Put 1 tablespoon of butter into a pan and melt
  • Chop the leeks (slice into rounds and then chop each round in half) and add to the pan
  • Cook gently for around 10 minutes until the leeks have softened and taken on a little colour
  • Meanwhile, de-seed the chilli and chop finely. Peel and mince the garlic & ginger and roughly chop the fresh coriander leaves
  • When the leek has softened, add the chilli, ginger and garlic to the pan. Stir and cook for 1 minute
  • Next add the ground spices - cumin, coriander, garam masala, and turmeric. Stir and cook for 1 more minute then remove the pan from the heat
  • Spoon the mashed potato into the pan and mix in
  • Next, scatter in the cooked fish and the chopped coriander. Stir until well distributed
  • Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper. Mix and taste. Add more seasoning to suit personal preferences
  • If times allows, let the potato mixture to cool for 30 minutes - it will firm up as it cools, making it easier to shape

Stage 4 Shaping and Covering the Fish Cakes

  • Preheat the oven to 200C/ 400F/ GM 6
  • Break an egg into a bowl and beat with a fork
  • Tip the panko breadcrumbs into another bowl, then scatter in the kashmiri chilli powder - mix briefly
  • Pour 1 tablespoon of oil into the breadcrumbs. Use your fingers to gently rub the oil into the breadcrumbs. Do not exhert force - The aim is to coat the breadcrumbs in oil and chilli powder, but not break down the breadcrumbs
  • Next, divide the fish cake mixture into 12 equal sized portions and roll into balls
  • Dip each ball first in the beaten egg then roll it in the breadcrumbs until coated
  • If necessary, gently reshape each fish cake until it resembles a ball again
  • Lay the fish cakes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake for 25 minutes until golden. Whilst they are cooking make the relish

Stage 5 Make the Tomato relish

  • Finely dice the shallot and fry in a little oil until soft
  • Meanwhile, mince the ginger and garlic
  • When the shallot is soft, add to the pan and cook for 1 minute
  • Next, add the ground cumin, ground coriander, chilli powder and salt. Cook for 1 minute
  • Finely dice the tomatoes and add to the pan
  • Let cook at a moderate simmer for 10 - 15 minutes, stirring often, until the tomatoes break down and a thick sauce is formed
  • When ready to serve, add a squeeze of lemon (to taste) and stir the fresh coriander through

Serving

  • Either serve the relish in small bowls alongside the fishcakes or spoon into bowls and top with 3 fish cakes per person

Notes

  • Save a few minutes by using minced garlic and minced ginger from jars
  • Ensure that the fish has been properly filleted to ensure no stray bones remain
  • The texture of all potatoes will vary. Some will by drier then others, so it's not possible to specify exactly how much liquid to add to the potato mixture. It's best to add a little at a time to ensure you reach the ideal consitency. If too much liquid is added, the fishcake mixture will be difficult to shape and will fall apart as it bakes
  • If you accidentally add too much liquid to the mash try adding a tablespoon of flour to help it thicken up again
  • You can make flatter patties if desired, but I find these more fiddly to shape and coat with breadcrumb
  • Try making them with alternative flaky fish. Salmon, cod or pollock all work well (remember that unsmoked fish is less salty than its smoked counterpart, so adjust the seasoning as necessary to account for this).
  • Make them gluten-free: replace the panko breadcrumbs with a suitable gluten-free alternative. Perhaps try breadcrumbs made from brown rice

 

Can I make these in advance?

These fishcakes can be made in advance and baked later. Follow the recipe up to stage 4: step 7 and then cool, cover and keep refrigerated until ready to cook.
Cook from chilled for 30-35 minutes at 200C/ 400F/ GM 6 until piping hot.
Please remember that fish does not typically have a long shelf life. For this reason, these fishcakes do need baking and eating within 48 hours of assembling. Otherwise, they should be frozen.
The relish can also be made in advance. Again, store in the fridge and reheat at the point of serving.

Reheating and freezing instructions

Since the fish is cooked prior to adding into the potato mix, it is only possible to safely bake the fully assembled fishcake once.
If the fishcakes have been baked once, reheating is not advisable.
To safely freeze these smoked haddock fishcakes before the final bake, make the recipe up to the end of step stage 4: step 7 then allow to cool completely. Place them on a freezer-proof tray to open-freeze (unwrapped) as soon as possible. Once fully frozen, transfer to a bag, label and keep frozen for up to 3 months.
The tomato relish can be reheated safely. It keeps well for up to 1 week and it can also be frozen.

Nutrition

Calories: 495kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 1165mg | Potassium: 1398mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1211IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 169mg | Iron: 6mg
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