Fish Cakes with Baked Beans
By Jenny and Rosie with Wendie Wilson
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
For Fish Cakes:
1 lb (454 g) Salt cod or other salted white fish, or 1 ½ lb fresh haddock or cod
2 lb (908 g) Potatoes (about 2 large), peeled and diced
1 medium Onion, minced
1 tsp (5 mL) Summer savoury or 2 Tbsp (30 mL) chopped parsley (optional)
1 Cup (250 mL) Fresh breadcrumbs
As needed Oil, for cooking
For Quick Stovetop Baked Beans:
1 × (540 ml) can Navy beans
½ Cup (125 mL) Water
1 tsp (5 ml) Mustard powder
2 Tbsp (30 ml) Brown sugar
1 Tbsp (15 ml) Molasses
½ tsp (2.5 ml) Salt
Pinch Black pepper
1 small Onion, diced
2 strips Bacon, chopped (optional)
Directions
Note: Wash all produce well. You can substitute ⅓ lb (150 g) dried beans for the canned beans, such as soldier beans or yellow-eyed beans, soaked and cooked according to package directions. Add water if needed to prevent sticking.
If using salt fish, cover the fish with cold water and soak overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, drain the fish and place in a pot with enough fresh water to cover. Bring to a boil and immediately turn off the heat. Drain the fish well and let cool. If using fresh fish, season lightly with salt and bake at 350°F (175℃) until it flakes easily. Let cool, then use your hands or a food processor to break fish into small pieces.
In another pot, boil the potatoes until tender. Drain and mash. Place the cod in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped or flake the fish by hand. Add the fish to the pot with the potatoes, along with the onion, summer savoury or parsley, and breadcrumbs. Mix well with your hands to combine, then shape into 16 patties roughly 3 inches in diameter.
Before frying the fishcakes, start the baked beans. Empty the beans into a saucepan with their liquid. Add the water, mustard powder, brown sugar, molasses, salt, pepper, onion and optional ham or bacon. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened, about 30 minutes.
Heat a heavy frying pan over medium heat and add enough oil to generously coat the bottom. Cook the fishcakes in batches, adding oil when necessary until they are browned and heated through (remove stray bits as they cook so they don’t burn).
