Fish Cakes Recipe: How to Make Fish Cakes

Fish cakes consist of cooked, filleted fish, shredded into small pieces, and combined with various seasonings. This mixture typically gets bound with starch, such as breadcrumbs or diced or mashed potatoes, then shaped into patties and pan-fried or baked until golden brown and crispy. If you know how to make crab cakes, the process is similar.

This rustic style of fish cake is distinct from chewy Japanese kamaboko, a category of fish cakes made from puréed white fish, or “surimi.” These fish cakes also include binding agents, such as egg whites and sake, but instead of a flaky, loose texture, kamaboko is firm and sold in compact cylinders for slicing. Kamaboko is a standard topper for noodles and soups like ramen, used as imitation crab meat in sushi rolls, or deep-fried until crispy and tender, as seen in satsuma-age.

Some fish are better than others for fish cakes. Here’s what to look for:

1. 1. Canned fish: Canned tuna or salmon are the easiest fish types to incorporate into a fish cake. Look for larger chunks of fish packed in olive oil, and add extra mayonnaise or binding ingredients as needed.
2. 2. Fresh fish: If you have a little extra time, pick up a few fresh fillets from your fishmonger and pan-sear or poach until tender and cooked through. For best results, use firm white fish like cod, tilapia, haddock, catfish, or fatty, flavorful cuts of salmon. Avoid overly fatty fish like halibut, which will turn mushy, or fish that dries out quickly, like swordfish.
3. 3. Smoked fish: Add smoked salmon or smoked whitefish to your fish cake for a more complex flavor profile. Try mixing a small amount of smoked salmon with poached or baked salmon for balance.

It’s hard to go wrong with homemade fish cakes. Here are a few tips to remember:

1. 1. Repurpose leftover fish. Fish cakes are the ultimate leftovers hack. Simply flake cooked fish straight from the fridge into a bowl and add a handful of your favorite ingredients, from minced cornichons and capers to fresh herbs, onion, and garlic.
2. 2. Chill the patties before cooking. To help the patties hold their shape while cooking, chill shaped cakes for 30 minutes to an hour before cooking.
3. 3. Serve with tartar sauce, remoulade, or cocktail sauce. The best fish cakes are tender and well-seasoned enough to enjoy on their own, or with a squeeze of lemon. But they’re also an ideal pairing for spicy, tangy, and creamy sauces, like homemade tartar sauce. Better yet, serve the cakes and sauce between toasted burger buns for an easy, delicious, hot sandwich.

Fish cakes consist of cooked, filleted fish, shredded into small pieces, and combined with various seasonings. This mixture typically gets bound with starch, such as breadcrumbs or diced or mashed potatoes, then shaped into patties and pan-fried or baked until golden brown and crispy. If you know how to make crab cakes, the process is similar.

This rustic style of fish cake is distinct from chewy Japanese kamaboko, a category of fish cakes made from puréed white fish, or “surimi.” These fish cakes also include binding agents, such as egg whites and sake, but instead of a flaky, loose texture, kamaboko is firm and sold in compact cylinders for slicing. Kamaboko is a standard topper for noodles and soups like ramen, used as imitation crab meat in sushi rolls, or deep-fried until crispy and tender, as seen in satsuma-age.

Some fish are better than others for fish cakes. Here’s what to look for:

1. 1. Canned fish: Canned tuna or salmon are the easiest fish types to incorporate into a fish cake. Look for larger chunks of fish packed in olive oil, and add extra mayonnaise or binding ingredients as needed.
2. 2. Fresh fish: If you have a little extra time, pick up a few fresh fillets from your fishmonger and pan-sear or poach until tender and cooked through. For best results, use firm white fish like cod, tilapia, haddock, catfish, or fatty, flavorful cuts of salmon. Avoid overly fatty fish like halibut, which will turn mushy, or fish that dries out quickly, like swordfish.
3. 3. Smoked fish: Add smoked salmon or smoked whitefish to your fish cake for a more complex flavor profile. Try mixing a small amount of smoked salmon with poached or baked salmon for balance.

It’s hard to go wrong with homemade fish cakes. Here are a few tips to remember:

1. 1. Repurpose leftover fish. Fish cakes are the ultimate leftovers hack. Simply flake cooked fish straight from the fridge into a bowl and add a handful of your favorite ingredients, from minced cornichons and capers to fresh herbs, onion, and garlic.
2. 2. Chill the patties before cooking. To help the patties hold their shape while cooking, chill shaped cakes for 30 minutes to an hour before cooking.
3. 3. Serve with tartar sauce, remoulade, or cocktail sauce. The best fish cakes are tender and well-seasoned enough to enjoy on their own, or with a squeeze of lemon. But they’re also an ideal pairing for spicy, tangy, and creamy sauces, like homemade tartar sauce. Better yet, serve the cakes and sauce between toasted burger buns for an easy, delicious, hot sandwich.