Stranger Foods

Smoked fish and parsnip cakes

Serves 12 | Prep 15 mins | Cook 40 mins

I love to eat these for brunch, topped with a poached egg, but they are good any time of the day. If eating them for lunch or supper, try grating some fresh horseradish into soured cream to serve alongside.

Source: SIMPLE by Ottolenghi

Ingredients

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Imperial

x0.5

600 g parsnips, peeled and cut into 4 cm chunks
120 ml olive oil
560 g smoked cod or haddock fillets (undyed), chopped into 4 cm pieces
20 g dill, roughly chopped
20 g chives, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 lemons, finely grate the zest to get 2 tsp, then cut into wedges, to serve
2 large eggs, lightly whisked
40 g unsalted butter
salt and black pepper

Instructions

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°F

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Preheat the oven to 190°C fan.
Toss the parsnips with 3 tablespoons of oil and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Transfer to a large parchment-lined tray and roast for , until golden-brown and soft. Tip into a food processor and blitz to form a coarse mash. If the mix is feeling very dry then add a tablespoon or two of water and blitz again to combine. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
Place the fish in the food processor (don't worry about wiping it clean) and pulse a few times a you want it to be roughly chopped rather than completely minced a then add to the bowl of parsnips, along with the dill, chives, garlic, lemon zest, eggs, 1 teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper. Mix well, then form into 12 patties: they should be about 8 cm wide and 2-3 cm thick. At this stage you can cover the patties and keep them in the fridge until ready to cook (up to ).
Put half the butter and half the remaining oil into a large frying pan and place on a medium high heat. Once the butter starts to foam, add half the patties and fry for , turning them over halfway through, until crisp and golden-brown. Keep warm while you continue with the next half and serve, with a wedge of lemon.

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