Fishcakes with Prawns and Homemade Tartare Sauce

I must first apologise for this blog and recipe being late, I did promise it for last week but I was a little under the weather, now feeling much better here it is.

Fishcakes with Prawns and Homemade Tartare Sauce

You can't beat these homemade fish cakes, served with homemade tartare sauce just perfect with a squeeze of lemon.

We both like fishcakes and do not mind if they are made from Haddock, Cod, Pollack, Whiting, or Salmon, they are so straightforward to prepare, why not try adding a bit of smoked salmon for additional indulgence.
We used to serve these for breakfast and light lunches at The Great Tree Hotel sometimes using smoked haddock but no matter what fish we used they were always a popular dish.
We have served fishcakes as tea for the children of families we have worked for, and they always wanted more, Lord Hanson loved them for breakfast as did quite a few of his guests.

The fishcake has always been seen as a way of using up leftovers that might otherwise be thrown away, In Mrs Beeton's 19th century publication Book of Household Management, her recipe for fishcakes calls for leftover fish and cold potatoes.
For us though they are not just to use up leftover fish and potatoes they warrant being made in their own right, just the thing for a simple supper with salad. Perfect to cook and freeze in batches using good quality fish, ask your fishmonger for some good fish trimmings which he will probably have in somewhere, some fishmongers put a mix together for making fish pie.
Recipes that are more modern have added to the dish, by using ingredients such as smoked salmon, shellfish, and vegetables, in other words the humble fishcake has come of age and is now found on the menus of fine dining restaurants.

Now to the recipe which will make 4 large cakes or 8 small ones, this recipe should only take about 20 minutes to prepare and about 15 to 20 minutes to cook.

You will need for the Fish Cakes;
450 grams, filleted and skinned haddock, or you can use whiting, pollack, or cod
4, large raw tiger prawns, peeled and deveined
300 grams, potatoes, peeled and chopped for boiling
2, fresh bay leaves
2 sprigs, fresh parsley
150mls milk
½ teaspoon, finely grated lemons zest, we now use the small microplane grater
1 tablespoon fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons, plain flour to use for dusting etc
100 grams, fresh white breadcrumbs, we like ours to be a day or two old
2 tablespoons, vegetable oil, for shallow frying, we use the Tefal Again and Again it has no cholesterol.
Lemon wedges and watercress, baby spinach and rocket leaves to garnish

For a Quick Tartare Sauce Recipe;
200mls, mayonnaise
3 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped
3 tablespoons gherkins, drained and chopped
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 good squeeze of lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Mix all the sauce ingredients together and put to one side it is best to keep this chilled.

Method
Place the haddock and bay leaves and parsley sprigs into a pan, pour over the milk cover, bring up to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Now add the prawns, and take the haddock and prawns off the heat and let stand, covered, for about 10 minutes to finish cooking, the prawns will steam nicely and cook and become tender.
Put the potatoes into a pan cover with water and season with sea salt, bring to a boil lower the heat, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until tender.
Now take the haddock and prawns from the milk with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool.
Drain the potatoes in a colander and leave for a few minutes to cool and drain a little, now put them through a potato ricer or mouli or just mash them by hand, we just want a light fluffy mash. Mix into the potatoes about 1 tablespoon of the sauce, lemon zest and parsley, season well with salt and pepper the potato should have a nice zesty flavour, so taste and fine-tune the seasoning.
Drain off any liquid from the haddock, grind some pepper over it, then flake it into the pan of potatoes slice the prawns into a similar thickness and then with your hands, gently lift the haddock and prawns and potatoes together so they just mix together it should only take a couple of turns, be careful you don’t want to allow the fish to break up too much.
Put the beaten egg into a shallow dish and lightly flour a board, spread the breadcrumbs on a baking sheet.

Divide the fish cake mixture into four cakes or 8 small cakes and on the floured work surface, and with floured hands, carefully shape the fish cakes about 1 inch thick.
Then one at a time, coat each cake in the beaten egg, making sure the top and sides are coated, I like to use a pastry brush for this. Now cover each cake one at a time in the breadcrumbs so that they are lightly covered.
Let chill for 30 minutes or so, you can make them ahead of time if you want.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the fish cakes over a medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side or until crisp and golden.
Serve and Enjoy with the tartare sauce and garnished with the watercress, spinach and rocket leaves and lemon wedges.

• The fish cakes will freeze brilliantly for up to 4 weeks
• To cook the fish cakes from frozen, place them on a lightly oiled tray, then drizzle with a little more oil, cook on the middle shelf under a medium grill for 12 to 15 minutes until golden, flip over, then cook the other side for 5 minutes.

World Cup 2010 USA, Crab Cakes from Joe's Stone Crab of Miami

This is the recipe I got from a chef at Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami, Florida, these crab cakes have got to be the best I have ever tasted they are superb just served with the mustard sauce and a mixed salad. When in Palm Springs we used to have flown in monthly stone crab claws, crab cakes and Joe’s famous mustard sauce from In fact most of the celebrities who lived in an around Palm Springs did including Frank Sinatra and Kirk Douglas, rather than wait for the mail order delivery Lord Hanson used to send his jet and Malcolm the senior travel manager to go and pick up the order so the claws etc couldn’t be fresher. I have included the recipes for the mustard sauce and blackened seasoning and a few notes on the stone crabs. In this recipe I of course just use white crab meat, the claw meat of our brown crabs is great to use but can work out a little costly but these crab cakes are worth it.
The Crab Cakes
Serves / Makes: 6 servings

Prep-Time: 10 minutes

Cook-Time: 10 minutes

You Will Need;

• 2/3 cup, mayonnaise
• 5 egg, yolks
• 2 teaspoons, lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons, Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons, Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons, black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon, salt
• ¼ teaspoon, blackened seasoning (see below)
• ¼ teaspoon, crushed red chillies
• ½ cup parsley, chopped fine
• 2½ cups, fresh bread crumbs
• 2 pounds, white crab meat

Mix all ingredients together, and form into 4 ounce cakes, coat with flour and fry in one inch of oil until golden brown Serve and Enjoy!

This pan is just perfect for cooking your crab cakes

Joe’s Stone Crab Mustard Sauce
Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon, dry mustard, Joe uses Coleman’s plus ½ teaspoon
• 1 cup, mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons, Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon, steak sauce, preferably A1 sauce but in the UK we use HP sauce 
• 2 tablespoons, double cream
• 2 tablespoons, milk
• Salt, to taste

Place the dry mustard in a mixing bowl and add the mayonnaise, beat for 1 minute then add the Worcestershire sauce, A1/HP sauce, cream and milk, and a pinch of salt and beat until the mixture is well blended and creamy
If you like a more mustard bite, whisk in ½ teaspoon more dry mustard until well blended.
Cover and chill the sauce then serve in small cups with the crab cakes, cooked and cracked stone crab claws, or in the UK crab claws or almost any type of shellfish.

Blackened Seasoning for Fish, or Chicken

• 2 teaspoons, ground paprika
• 4 teaspoons, dried leaf thyme
• 2 teaspoons, onion powder
• 2 teaspoons, garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon, granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons, salt
• 2 teaspoons, black pepper
• 1 teaspoon, ground cayenne pepper, or to your taste
• 1 teaspoon, dried leaf oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon, ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon, ground nutmeg 

Place all ingredients in a jar and store in a cool dark place, shake jar well before each use.

• To cook fish etc with the seasoning, over a low heat, melt about 3 tablespoons of butter in a non-stick frying pan (enough butter to cover fish and the bottom of the pan).
• As soon as the butter is melted, place the fish in the pan, turning over it over to cover both sides with the butter and then generously coat the fish with the seasoning, turn over again and coat the other side with seasoning.
• Now turn up the heat to a medium-high and cook on one side until blackened and somewhat crispy.
• Turn over and cook the other side, add a little more butter whenever necessary.

Stone Crab (Menippe Mercenaria)
In order to assure the continued survival of the species: Only one claw may be removed so the crab can defend itself. Egg bearing females are not allowed to be declawed. The crabs are captured in baited traps. No spears or hooks are allowed. Four inches from the first joint to the tip is the minimum legal size, that's about two ounces. A colossal can weigh 25 ounces or more. The large crusher claw can exert extreme pressure. As much as 19000 lbs. per square inch. Although their massive claws serve as deterrents to most predators, fishermen have reported the stone crab falls prey to the octopus. Stone crab season in Florida runs from October 15th to May 15. Stone crabs exhibit carnivorous feeding behaviour. Sometimes in traps they resort to cannibalism! The claws make up half the weight of the whole crab; they are removed by carefully grabbing from the rear and twisting. The crab is returned to water and the claw regenerates. It takes between 12 to 24 months to reach legal size again. In 1963 stone crabs cost 30 cents a dozen wholesale.

World Cup 2010 England, Battered Dublin Bay Prawns

Some of the recipes I am posting now are really my suggestions for quick and easy dishes you can make to eat while watching the world cup, all of them will be great to share with family and friends, todays recipe is great traditional British dish perfect for a snack or starter, our version of deep frying succulent Dublin bay prawns coated with a light beer batter deep fried to a golden colour, serve with a garlic mayonnaise to dip.

Its another of Maureen’s favourite shellfish either in breadcrumbs, batter or as scampi Provencal, we have served this superb lobster like shellfish to many of the rich and famous here and in America. We like to serve these with a garlic mayonnaise or a homemade Tartare sauce.

Now for the recipe, you will need for 4 servings;

• 12, Dublin bay prawns, King Prawns can also be used for this recipe
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 tablespoons, seasoned flour
• 1 cup, plain flour
• ¼ to ½ cup, light beer
• 1, whole egg
• Oil, for deep-frying
• Lemon wedge and parsley, for garnish

The method is all quite easy;

1. Remove heads and shell from prawns, leaving tail intact. Slit down the back of the prawn and remove the centre vein.
2. Sift the flour into a bowl, beat the egg and milk together, blend, and stir the flour to form a smooth paste. Add enough beer to form a batter consistency and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
3. Heat the oil for frying in a deep, heavy based pan. Toss the prawns in seasoned flour to season the flour add a sprinkling of salt and white pepper to plain flour.and dip into the batter one at a time. Lower six prawns carefully into the oil and cook for 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the prawns with strainer, drain well on absorbent paper, and keep warm. Cook the remaining prawns, drain well.
4. Serve on a warm serving plate and garnished with parsley sprigs and lemon wedges.
5.  Do not cook more than six prawns at once as this will lower the oil temperature and cause prawns to absorb excess oil.

We like this to deep-fry our fried dishes;


Langoustine, Scampi Or Dublin Bay Prawn, According to the Larousse Gastronomique, the Dublin Bay prawn is known in French as "langoustine”, while in Britain the shelled tail meat is generally referred to as "scampi”. The term "prawn" can be confusing since it is used to describe several varieties of shellfish: the first group includes members of the lobster family such as the Dublin Bay prawn (langoustine in French and langostino in Spanish), Danish lobster, Italian scampi, etc., while the second takes in large shrimp, particularly those that live in fresh water.


An edible crustacean, Nephrops Norvegicus, of the order Decapoda, which is commercially sold as scampi, similar to a large prawn, it has a slender pinkish body, up to 7.87 in long, with long claws. It is widespread in the Mediterranean and NE Atlantic, living in sandy burrows at a depth of 10 to 12 ft. Dublin Bay prawns are usually fished by trawling and are marketed fresh, frozen, or cooked, shelled or unshelled, whole or as tails.

Can be cooked whole as a lobster and served cold with mayonnaise or the peeled, uncooked tail meat. They are delicate and need to be poached only for a few seconds in court bouillon. Unlike the rock lobster or spiny lobster (called "langouste" in French), or even shrimp, the Dublin Bay prawn changes colour little during cooking. It is better to undercook it rather than overcook it, so that it does not become tough and dry. When very fresh, Dublin Bay prawns have an outstanding slightly sweet flavour that is lost when they are frozen. They can be eaten plain, accompanied by melted butter. In North America, it is common to coat Dublin Bay prawns with breadcrumbs and butter and cook them briefly under a very hot broiler.

Molly’s Cockles and Mussels Pot

Cockles, Mussels, Sage, Thyme and a blend of Onions, Garlic, Celery, Peppers and Carrots combine to intensify elements of flavours to an unpretentious sauce of tomatoes and wine.

When we were younger and before we were married we found that we both loved shellfish especially mussels, and somehow “Molly” became Maureen’s pet name, it was I suppose from the Irish song “Molly Malone” (see below), anyhow this dish was born out of that love of shellfish and along with the cockles and mussels we do every now and then add a few medium size prawns (raw) they cook pleasingly in the steam from the cockles and mussels.

Serves / Makes: 6 servings
Prep-Time: 1 hour or so
Cook-Time: 20 minutes

You Will Need;

• 750 grams, live cockles, you could use clams
• 750 grams, live mussels
• 150mls, white wine
• 1 tablespoon, vegetable oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 celery stick, finely chopped
• ½ red pepper, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped carrot
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped sage leaves
• 2 teaspoons, fresh thyme leaves
• 1 x 400 gram tin of chopped tomatoes
• Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons, roughly chopped parsley

Method;

Wash the cockles and mussels in a few changes of cold water, scrubbing to remove any beards still attached to the shells, throw away any that are damaged, or opened; (those that do not close when tapped) place the remaining shellfish in a large bowl, cover with cold water and set aside to soak for an hour. Drain the shellfish thoroughly and place in a large saucepan or mussel pot, add the wine, cover and cook over a high heat for 2 to 3 minutes until all the shells have opened.
Strain off the cooking liquid and reserve, get rid of any shellfish that have not opened pick half the shellfish from the shells and leave half in their shells.
Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan, add the onion, garlic, celery, red pepper, carrot, thyme and sage and cook over a gentle heat until softened add the tomatoes and bring to a boil, stirring often cook for 3 minutes, and then add the set aside cooking liquid from the shellfish, return to the boil lower the heat and simmer for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently.
Stir the cockles and mussels into the sauce and add salt and pepper to taste stir in the parsley.
Serve and enjoy with fresh crusty bread or tasty vegetable rice.

We like to serve this dish in this style of Mussel pot;


Notes:

Mussels are truly one of nature’s most delightful delicacies; they are extremely high in proteins, calcium and iron while being low in fat and calories. They are also excellent for your heart, containing the highest amount of omega3’s of any shellfish (this is the naturally occurring fatty acid that is believed to lower blood pressure).mussels with fries or Moules frites are a characteristic Belgian dish, you get a big bowl (just about always pot) of steamed mussels, broth, and a side of frites.

Don't be tricked by how upmarket they look, mussels are the definitive uncomplicated seafood. Clean them, sauté them, steam them and hey up you'll have a dish everyone will be wowed there are many ways to serve the mussels, but the most classic is Moules Mariniere the mussels are offered in a sauce of white wine, shallots, parsley, and butter.

You can in addition find mussels served with sauces made with beer, or cream, or vegetable stock. For the greatest authenticity, use a shell to crack open the mussels, not your fork.

Mussels are at their best in cold weather, so their season is usually from October to March. When you see them in a fishmonger’s, a sign of freshness is that most of them are tightly closed: if there are a lot of open mussels don’t bother. When buying mussels you need to allow at least 1 pint (570 ml) per person for a first course, and 1½ to 2 pints (about 1 litre) for a main course. That may seem a lot, but some will have to be discarded and, once they have been shelled, mussels are very small and light.

The ritual of cleaning and preparing them sounds more bother than it actually is. When you get them home, plonk the mussels straightaway into a sinkful of cold water. First of all throw out any that float to the top, then leave the cold tap running over them while you take a small knife and scrape off all the barnacles and pull off the little hairy beards. Discard any mussels that are broken, and any that are open and refuse to close tight when given a sharp tap with a knife. After you’ve cleaned each one, place it straight in another bowl of clean water.

When they’re all in, swirl them around in three or four more changes of cold water to get rid of any lingering bits of grit or sand. Leave the cleaned mussels in cold water until you’re ready to cook them. As an extra safety precaution, always check mussels again after cooking this time discarding any whose shells haven’t opened.

COCKLES

Cockles are extremely appreciated in many coastal regions, where they’re gathered at low tide from shoals and sandy bottoms. In the Magdalen Islands, they’re by tradition battered and deep-fried. Cockles are found in sandy or muddy areas shallowly buried to a depth of not more than about one inch. They may be most linked with Dublin, alive alive-o, but cockles are to be had all over the world. Their small, heart-shaped shells contain a petite, tantalizing morsel of flesh that can be eaten raw, steamed, or boiled. A member of the clam family, although cockles may seem like a lot of work for little return, they have a mouth-watering salty flavour that desires to be treated gently.

Buying Cockles, They are available throughout the year, but the best season is from September to March. Be sure the shells are tightly closed choose cockles with pale shells, as this indicates lighter flesh which is said to taste better.
Storing Cockles Place the cockles in a breathable container and cover with a damp cloth. Molluscs should be kept at a temperature between 0° and 4° C (32°-40° F). In their shells, they will keep for 1 or 2 days
Preparing Cockles, Discard any cockles with opened or broken shells. Place in a bowl, cover with cold salted water and allow them to release the sand and impurities they contain. Allow at least 2 hours of soaking half a day is better.
Cooking Cockles can be eaten raw or cooked. To cook, place them in a pan, cover and place over high heat with a small amount of water, shake them once or twice, and remove the cockles as soon as they begin to open.

In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so pretty

I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone
As she wheeled her wheel-barrow
Through streets broad and narrow
Crying cockles and mussels, alive, alive-O!
Alive, alive-O! Alive, alive-O!
Crying cockles and mussels, alive, alive-O!

She was a fish-monger, but sure 'twas no wonder
For so were her father and mother before
And they each wheeled their barrow
Through streets broad and narrow
Crying cockles and mussels, alive, alive-O!
Alive, alive-O! Alive, alive-O!
Crying cockles and mussels, alive, alive-O!

She died of a fever, and no one could save her
And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone
But her ghost wheels her barrow
Through streets broad and narrow
Crying cockles and mussels, alive, alive-O!
Alive, alive-O! Alive, alive-O!
Crying cockles and mussels, alive, alive-O!