Fish Cakes Recipe - Fish Cakes with Wild Rice | Hank Shaw (2024)

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4.91 from 20 votes

By Hank Shaw

January 30, 2015 | Updated April 02, 2021

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Americans tend to reject fish with more bones than they think are appropriate. This is a shame because many of these fish are fantastic to eat, once you deal with the bones. And this fish cakes recipe is a prime way to fix that problem.

Pike, especially, is a wonderful fish. Very firm, very white, as mild to eat as the fish is fun to catch. I had the opportunity to chase gigantic northerns in Manitoba a few years ago and brought a few fish home to cook with.

Fish Cakes Recipe - Fish Cakes with Wild Rice | Hank Shaw (2)

Since then I’ve made classic pickled pike, fried pike nuggets and a pike soup I dedicated to Manitoba. That left me with just enough pike to make this Midwestern-style fish cake recipe.

Oh, and you should know that you can use virtually any species for these fish cakes. Pike is just what I happened to use.

I must admit the idea to mix wild rice with a fish cake isn’t original; I developed my recipe from one I read in Midwestern Living magazine. It’s a great idea, though, as the wild rice is both native to the region and adds a bit of color and texture to the fish cakes. Just make sure you cook the wild rice completely before adding to the fish cakes, because the cakes cook up quickly.

Pike cakes are a natural because of the fish’s many bones. True, it’s not that hard to fillet a pike, and I have detailed instructions here, but it’s easier to fillet as normal, gently poach the fish in chicken broth, and then flake out the meat. This is an especially good method for other bony fish like shad, carp or little panfish.

You only need a half-pound for this recipe, so vacuum seal any extra and freeze for later. You’ll want to make these fish cakes again.

How do these fish cakes taste? Just really good. There’s no one overwhelming flavor, although you do pick up the mustard and the chives in every bite. The fish is mild, the mayo keeps everything moist and the Worcestershire and lemon just brighten things. This is good Midwestern food without the blandness that mars that region’s culinary reputation.

What’s more, they are easy to make, and can be done start to finish in 30 minutes, if you’ve precooked the wild rice — which I do. I cook a batch of wild rice, then freeze it for when I need it. Do this, and you have a light, easy, 30-minute meal. A rarity on this site.

I do fish cakes a lot, and I have some other fish cake recipes on the site, such as trout cakes, and a salmon cake based of a Chesapeake crab cake. Lots of different fish will work in these recipes.

4.91 from 20 votes

Fish Cakes with Wild Rice

Needless to say this recipe can be done with any white fish, but if you are in the Midwest, please try to get perch, pike or walleye for this. It just seems right. Trout would also work well, here, especially Great Lakes lake trout or steelhead.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 people

Author: Hank Shaw

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound cooked, flaked pike or other white fish
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup cooked wild rice
  • 1/4 cup minced onion, red if you have one
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon mustard, Dijon if you have it
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives
  • 1/4 cup butter, lard or vegetable oil for cooking
  • Greens for a salad

Instructions

  • Make sure any little bones are out of the fish. Mix everything (except the oil and salad greens) together in a large bowl. Divide the mix into 8 roughly equal parts and form into patties. If you have time, set the patties on a cookie sheet in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up. You can skip this step if you are rushed.

  • Fry the patties in the butter until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Serve with a green salad with a nice vinaigrette, or try my saffron aioli.

Notes

If you want, you can fully cook these fish cakes, then set them on a baking sheet or plate in the freezer. Once frozen solid, put them in a freezer bag and they will be good for months. Reheat them in a toaster oven or fry them again.

Nutrition

Calories: 374kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 736mg | Potassium: 154mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 615IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

Categorized as:
American Recipes, Featured, Fish, Foraging, Recipe

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About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Read More About Me

Fish Cakes Recipe - Fish Cakes with Wild Rice | Hank Shaw (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep homemade fish cakes from falling apart? ›

Use a potato that is floury, starchy. Breadcrumbs will also work. Up the egg content if using. Especially if you are using pre cooked fish, all the sticky stuff that is contained within fish will have gone, so you need to replace this with a starch or some sort.

What is the binder for fish cakes? ›

In addition to the egg, you'll want to add another binding ingredient to help give the fish cake form. A classic choice is breadcrumbs, but you could integrate crushed up crackers, almond flour, or even mashed (or smashed) potatoes into your fish cake mix.

Why do my fish cakes fall apart? ›

If you add too much egg, for instance, or the canned fish isn't properly drained, the mixture will be too wet and the cakes will fall apart. Too many breadcrumbs, on the other hand, will make your cakes dry and crumbly.

How do you get fish cakes to stick together? ›

How to make fish cakes stick together - Quora. Pulse the raw fish in your food processor until it is chopped. Pour it into a bowl and add an egg, a little panko and seasonings, Mix it all together, dust it with flour, dip into egg and dredge heavily in seasoned panko.

How do you keep fish cakes from sticking? ›

Add more oil to the pan as needed; you really don't want these to stick. When the bottom surfaces of the fish cakes turn a beautiful golden brown and releases from the pan (about 5 minutes for us), flip them over. Once you've flipped all the fish cakes over, turn the heat to medium.

What is a good fish binder? ›

My go-to method is a simple, light smear of yellow mustard and hot sauce, which acts as a binder, then go straight into a "breading" of cornflour, cornmeal, and seasoning.

What can I use as a binder instead of egg? ›

Eggs As a Binder

For recipes which use eggs primarily as a binder (such as drop cookies), use one of the possible substitutions for one egg: 1/2 of a medium banana, mashed. 1/4 cup of applesauce (or other pureed fruit)

What are the components of fish cake? ›

A fishcake (sometimes written as fish cake) is a culinary dish consisting of filleted fish or other seafood minced or ground, mixed with a starchy ingredient, and fried until golden. Asian-style fishcakes usually contain fish with salt, water, starch, and egg. They can include a combination of fish paste and surimi.

How do you know when fish cakes are done? ›

Put the oil into a frying pan on a medium heat. Quickly add the fish cakes and fry for about 5 minutes on each side to cook them through. You'll know when they're ready because they will smell gorgeous and they will be a lovely golden brown.

What is the swirl in fish cake? ›

This processed roll is primarily made of frozen surimi (processed, pureed whitefish), while the pink swirl comes from food coloring. Invented in the 1800s and prepared by slicing and steaming, narutomaki has a history of gracing traditional noodle soups, such as ramen and soba.

How long does it take for fish cake to go bad? ›

Store-bought, unopened fish cakes typically last for about a week past the printed date on the package. Once opened, they should be consumed within 2 to 3 days.

Are fish cakes healthy for you? ›

Light on the stomach and easy to digest, Fish Cakes are also a healthy addition to your diet as they are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. Here we share a Fish Cake recipe that is flavourful and easy to make. You can also make this recipe as a snack for a birthday party or a kitty party.

What's the difference between fish fingers and fish cakes? ›

My mother's fish cakes were a sort of rissole made with a small quantity of fish but with mostly potato. Fish fingers, on the other hand, appear to be fish scraps reconstituted into that unnatural rectangular shape with few additives.

What country is fish cakes from? ›

In both China and Japan surimi (a paste made from fish or meat) was used to make fishcakes and fish balls. It was often made using the fish that couldn't be sold either whole or as fillets and so would have gone to waste otherwise. Fishcakes are an excellent way of using up left over mashed potato.

What keeps a cake from crumbling? ›

BAKE AT THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE

It's important to bake the cake at the right temperature to ensure it doesn't dry out. If the oven is too hot, the outside of the cake will bake too quickly and the inside will be undercooked. A good rule of thumb is to bake the cake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

How do you fix a falling cake? ›

How to Fix Sunken Cake
  1. Step 1: Cut the outer ring of cake. Take your fallen cake and cut the ridge from around the sunken middle, so the top of the cake is level. ...
  2. Step 2: Fill in the gap in the cake. Using the excess cake, fill the sunken middle in and smooth it out. ...
  3. Step 3: Cover with frosting.

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