pollock fish cakes, spinach, dill + mustard sauce

21/8/2013

I imagine the manager of our local Lidl, when the early morning delivery arrives, as a kind of Alan Arkin-like figure, just this side of hysteria, gobbling Diazepams like they're Smarties, as the truck door opens to reveal a bewildering mix of moose steaks, scuba gear, whole lobsters, car batteries, sauerkraut and bicycle repair kits. What the fuck have those nutters sent me this time?!?! Because, as I'm sure you all know, Lidl is bat-shit crazy.

I was in there the other week, buying a wedge of 24 month-aged Parmigiano Reggiano for £14.45/kg (which is a few quid cheaper than I can find elsewhere) and, while there, also picked up a kilo bag of frozen Alaskan pollock for £3.99. Which equalled (at least in the bag I bought) eleven fillets. Pollock is what the recipe term 'or use any firm white-fleshed fish' was invented for, a great substitute for cod. I bought it, initially, to use in this stew; but it makes for an excellent fish cake - especially if you poach it with a few aromatics. I've used bay, peppercorns, parsley stalks and vinegar here, but use whatever is handy.

The other night I made a dill and mustard sauce to go with this, because I can get a bunch of dill from Khan's for 69p. Tonight, though, I'm nestling the fish cakes in a bowl of this lentil stew.

fish cakes

serves 2 (6 fish cakes)
250g pollock fillets
3 bay leaves
a good pinch of black peppercorns
a handful of parsley stalks
a splash of wine vinegar
250g potatoes, in chunks
a slice of butter
3 tbsps finely chopped spring onions
1 dsp capers, finely chopped
1 anchovy fillet, finely chopped
plain flour
1 egg, beaten
approx. 80g fine breadcrumbs
salt + black pepper
vegetable oil for frying

spinach

350g baby spinach
a slice of butter
salt + black pepper

dill + mustard sauce

150ml double cream
a slice of butter
1 dsp dijon mustard
2 tbsps of finely chopped dill
juice of 1 lemon
salt + black pepper

Place the fish in a pan with the bay leaves, peppercorns and parsley stalks. Cover with boiling water, add a good splash of vinegar and simmer for approximately 8 minutes. Remove the fish fillets, allow to cool and flake into a large bowl.

Boil the potato chunks in salted water until soft. Drain and roughly mash - lumps are, in this instance, fine.

Gently fry the spring onion in a little melted butter until soft. Add the finely chopped capers and anchovy and stir. Add this mixture, a desertspoon of the beaten egg and the mashed potatoes to the bowl of flaked fish and mix, seasoning with black pepper and a little salt.

Allow the mixture to cool then form into six balls. Coat in flour, dip in the remaining egg and roll in the breadcrumbs. Place in the fridge for a while to firm up.

Put the cream, butter, mustard and dill into a small pan and set aside.

Wilt the spinach in another pan, cool and squeeze dry. Return to the pan (off the heat) with a slice of butter and seasoning.

Heat some vegetable oil (about 5mm in depth) in a frying pan and fry the fish cakes. Turn fairly constantly to ensure they're crunchy and golden all over. While they are frying, warm up the spinach and bring the sauce to a simmer. Add the lemon juice to the sauce, a spoonful at a time, until it is sharp enough for your taste. Season.

Serve three fish cakes per person on a bed of spinach and pour the sauce over and around.

19 Comments

Liz

21/8/2013 10:03:13

It's an Aldi round here, but just the same...... wetsuits in a city that is farthest from any coast! However, the ski gear offers great thermals for when we have a winter like the last one :)

Those fishcakes look fantastice and loving the dill and mustard sauce....

The Skint Foodie

21/8/2013 14:39:59

Thanks Liz!

Jen

21/8/2013 14:25:42

Looks lovely. Do you every cook with Vietnamese River Cobbler? I've tried it but was put off by a couple of dodgy safety stories.

21/8/2013 14:40:54

Hi Jen. No! Never even heard of it, I'm ashamed to say.

22/8/2013 10:30:58

It is a (usually) farmed river fish, v cheap. Coated in seasoned flour and served with capers or a salsa, yum. People get funny about it because of the farming issue in the same way you would of farmed salmon or prawns. I imagine it would be a good 'any firm white fish' ... :)

Mark link

20/10/2013 04:24:56

I have cooked with it Jen, bought frozen from the supermarket here in Germany called Pangasius. Was delicious! Never heard about these safety stories though. Presumably too much trust in supermarket supply chains.

Vicky

23/8/2013 10:20:28

Agreed Lidl is a tad unpredictable (even on meds ..), but rarely disappointing :) Always find the staff there very approachable..Must eat more fish.

Joanna

23/8/2013 13:37:38

Holy smokes!
These look brilliant and the combination of tastes sound right up my street. I do believe I'm going to have to run down to my local Lidl's. I should venture in there more for the crazzyyy food.
x

Robin

23/8/2013 17:09:00

Inspired! Cheap and very very cheerful. I never really considered adding those kind of ingredients to perk up a fishcake. I think I'll try them with creamed lentils ... somewhere between your mustard sauce and your lentil stew.

Kate

1/9/2013 07:53:37

I logged on in a state of utter despair - available balance £8.81. Shit just got REAL. Anyway, in my poverty induced misery and hunger you completely cheered me up! You are brilliant, and SO funny! PLEASE WRITE THE BOOK! ;)
Love Kate (uncle Ji)
xx

Jo Boissevain

2/9/2013 14:49:31

I love the skint foodie.

3/9/2013 02:05:30

Thanks you two!! xxx

Alex link

4/9/2013 09:21:23

Wow, these look amazing. I love fish cakes but usually go for the haddock/salmon combo. Will try this recipe for sure though. Got to say am loving your blog, think you are very inspiring.

Ricardo

11/9/2013 15:59:53

Hi, Thanks for this recipe. I work part-time and earn well below the national average (the calculations of which I believe includes those city boys types who earn 200k xmas bonuses - like that doesn't tweak the averages). Anyway, I cook and I considered myself canny with food. But now I realise I was being a tight-wad. It doesn't take much in the way of ingredients to turn something thrifty but mundane into something classy. So after reading this article I splashed out and made a stonking fish pie that was a 'The Fly' type hybrid of your fish cakes and a Delia Smith recipe. I felt so happy eating it. I calculated that it came to £3.90 for 2 massive portions (3 normal people's portions - I did glut on it). And the freezer has enough fish for 2 more pies. So thanks for that lesson.

Valerie

7/10/2013 00:21:20

You made me laugh with that image of a bewildered Lidl manager. You're right about the mix of goods. Always fun to see what new weirdy thing they've got in stock. I've generally used Sainsburys as it's my nearest & I've no car/resent paying bus fare, but when I venture out to Lidl it's amazing how much cheaper it is. My only complaint is that they still sell eggs from caged birds. Apart from that, top marks to 'em.

David Reeves

9/10/2013 17:19:43

Hi. I made these tonight and they were great. If I was being picky with myself I'd say that I overdid the dill a bit, but only just. The next time I'll add a bit more anchovies and capers, just because I like them so much. These were fun to make and as impressive as hell. I also tried your beef soup stew which was lovely. Thanks for both the writing and the recipes - looking forward to trying more. I've already got my eye on the slow cook lamb...

Kerry

19/10/2013 11:41:58

The most delicious fish cakes ever!!! The flavours were exquisite. Best blog writing too. Thrilled for you after reading on The Guardian you won best blog. I hope all good things continue coming your way.
From a long time (silent-up-until-now) fan in Canada.

Lesley

20/10/2013 03:00:37

Loving the recipes! Working in Peckham feels like I've walked in your footsteps and know all these places. Definitely making these fish cakes! Xx

Anne

6/11/2013 15:44:15

Fish cakes are the bees knees! Thanks for the reminder! They'll be next this week!

Writing from New England. Pollock is also a decent chowder fish. Haddock and cod are the classics, but they cost a fortune here. Onions, spuds, and milk won't break most banks, and you can do a decent pot of chowder with less expensive fish. It's a great winter supper.

Flounder was on sale here last week for $3.99/lb, or about £1.50 (versus the $13.99/£8.75 per pound for haddock and cod). So I went for it. It was wonderful. Pollock works well too, and it too was going for a lot less than the haddock/cod. The flounder won because it was the absolute cheapest.

Herewith, cheap and cheerful chowder:

2 oz salt pork* or butter
1-2 medium white onions diced
4-5 medium potatoes (neither too floury nor too waxy: you know your own varieties better than I do), peeled and diced into 1/2" cubes
1 lb white fish, i.e., flounder/pollock, or if you're flush, haddock/cod
1-1/2-2 cups (...oh, just go for an imperial pint!) whole (full fat) milk

All amounts are approximate--an extra spud or a little less onion are fine.

Sauté the onions in the rendered salt pork or melted butter with decent splash of water until soft and translucent--don't let them brown. Add potatoes and enough water to barely cover. Cook until soft. Add milk; let it come to almost simmering. Layer the fish more or less whole (cut only to fit your pot). Let the fish poach in the liquid until it flakes. Only now add salt and pepper, taste, adjust the seasoning.

Ladle up from the bottom of the pot so each serving scoops onion, potatoes, chunks of fish. Serve with a good bread, or whatever version of hard tack you have nowadays, crumbled directly into the chowder.

That's the New England classic: very simple, built in layers, basically using only onions, potatoes, milk, and fish. There are lots of gussied-up versions with celery, or tomatoes instead of milk, yada-yada--but a classic New England fish chowder is very plain. Clam chowder can be thickened, but not fish chowder.

*Salt pork is also known as "pork fat back" here. It's a chunk of white, or occasionally marbled, pork fat with rind, and the true classic underpinning of chowder. Your butcher will be able to practically give it away. If you can get it: cut off the rind and dice fine; give or take three-four tablespoons. Render until it gives off all the fat, then scoop the little bits (aka "crackling"). If there is only a little rendered fat, add enough butter to sauté the onions as above. Crackling is a forbidden treat--it's absolutely dreadful health-wise, but a traditional treat to snack on while tediously peeling the spuds.

It is considered a great courtesy to check all the fish thoroughly for bones before adding to the pot. In my house, a ritual observed scrupulously!