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.