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Mediterranean Fish Cakes

From the Zena Chew collection

Introduction

This recipe is Hannah Cordes’ adaptation of a Bon Appétit recipe. For more about Passover cooking, read “Mighty matzo.”

Ingredients

Aïoli sauce (see Note)

	1½	cups mayonnaise
	¼	cup fresh lemon juice
	6	large garlic cloves, minced
	1½	Tbsp. tomato paste
	1½	tsp. hot smoked Spanish paprika, or 1¼ teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
	~	Salt and pepper, to taste

Fish cakes

	2	lb. mild white fish fillets (such as orange roughy or halibut), cut into ½-inch cubes
	1	cup finely chopped leeks
	6	garlic cloves, chopped
	6	Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
	3	Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
	1	Tbsp. ground cumin
	2	tsp. coarse kosher salt
	1	tsp. ground ginger
	¾	tsp. ground black pepper
	¼	tsp. ground cayenne pepper
	⅓	cup matzo meal
	1	large egg
	¾	cup olive oil (for frying)

Steps

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (The sauce can be made a day ahead of time and kept, covered, in the refrigerator.)
Coarsely grind the fish in a food processor. Add the leeks, garlic, parsley, cilantro, cumin, salt, ginger, black pepper, and cayenne pepper; blend well. Add the matzo meal and egg; process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
Line a large baking sheet with plastic wrap. With moistened hands and using 1 generous tablespoon for each cake, shape mixture into patties about 2 inches in diameter and ½-inch thick. Arrange the patties on the sheet, then chill for about 20 minutes before frying.
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Fry fish cakes in batches until brown and cooked through, adding more oil to skillet by tablespoonfuls as needed, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer cakes to an unlined baking sheet. (The cakes can also be made a day in advance; refrigerate until cold, then cover with foil and keep refrigerated. Rewarm, uncovered, in a 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes.)
Arrange warm fish cakes on plates. Spoon aïoli alongside and serve.

Notes

If you’re short on ingredients or in a hurry, make a sauce out of just the mayo and the paprika.

This content is from the Zena Chew collection.

Pizzarelle with Zabaglione

Grilled Fish with Tomato-Olive Relish

Chremslach (Matzo Fritters)

Passover plans

Food is at the center of this celebration

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