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Dill fish cakes recipe with parsnip purée

Neil Perry
Neil Perry

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Fish cakes with dill and parsnip puree.
Fish cakes with dill and parsnip puree.William Meppem

Looking for a lighter winter meal? Swap those rich glazes for a no less delicious winter meal of fish cakes - a perennial winner.

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Ingredients

  • 300g boneless white fish fillets, such as blue-eye

  • 350g floury potatoes, such as sebago

  • 1 small hard-boiled egg, finely chopped

  • 1 egg yolk

  • 1 spring onion, chopped

  • 1 tbsp double cream

  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard

  • 1 tsp lemon zest, no white pith

  • ½ tbsp chopped dill

  • ½ tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

  • 1 tsp sea salt

  • freshly ground white pepper

  • plain flour, for dusting (use gluten-free flour if required)

  • vegetable oil, for shallow-frying

  • green salad, to serve

For the purée

  • 30g unsalted butter, diced

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

  • ½ brown onion, chopped

  • 1 garlic clove, chopped

  • 3 large parsnips, diced

  • 1½ cups chicken stock or water (check gluten-free if required)

  • sea salt and freshly ground pepper

  • lemon juice, to taste

Method

  1. 1. For the fish cakes, steam fish until just tender; the cooking time will depend on the thickness and type of fish, but about 5-10 minutes.

    2. Cool until easy enough to handle, then flake into small pieces. Peel and chop potatoes, then steam for 15-20 minutes, or until very tender. Allow to cool slightly. Very roughly mash potatoes in large bowl, add flaked fish and remaining ingredients. Combine, but keep some texture.

    3. Shape mixture into 8 patties then flatten slightly to measure about 5-6cm in diameter. If the fish cakes are too large, they will be too fragile to handle. Toss lightly in a little flour to coat. Place on tray lined with baking paper. Cover well with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

    4. For the purée, heat butter and oil in a saucepan on a low heat. Add onion, garlic and salt to taste, cook for 8-10 minutes. Add parsnips, cook for a further 5 minutes, then add stock and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the parsnip is very soft, about 30 minutes. Season well, blend until very smooth and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.

    5. Put 1cm of oil in a large frying pan for shallow-frying. Heat oil until sizzling, add fish cakes, reduce heat slightly and cook until golden, about 3-4 minutes each side. Drain well on absorbent paper.

    6. Spoon the purée on to four plates, place two fish cakes and some green salad on each, and serve.

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Neil PerryNeil Perry is a restaurateur, chef and former Good Weekend columnist.

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