Fish Cakes

If you have an abundance of fresh fish from which to make fish cakes, you are indeed lucky. I make my fish cakes with canned tuna and because I know what they taste like I refuse to call them second best. They are easy to make, packed with goodness and even the finicky eaters in my family love them. Serve them with the yoghurt dip, some salad, fresh home baked bread and a cold glass of crisp white wine, for a meal fit for a king.

This recipe makes 18 substantial fish cakes which leaves the six of us with 3 each. You can easily half the recipe or you may freeze the cooked fish cakes: pack them in layers between kitchen/wax paper, seal in a plastic bag or container and store in the freezer.

4 cans of tuna, drained

4 potatoes, cooked, peeled and mashed

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 sweet pepper, finely chopped

a handful of herbs, chopped

1 clove of garlic, crushed

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Drain the tuna and add it to a mixing bowl.

Chop the onion, herbs, garlic and sweet pepper and mix with the tuna.

Now add the mashed potato and give the mixture another good mix.

Finally, add the egg, salt and pepper and give the mixture another good stir.

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and generously oil two baking trays.

Scoop two tablespoons of the mixture into your hands and form a thick patty.

Place on the baking sheet. Keep going until you have no mixture left.

You should be left with about 18 patties, depending on the size you make them.

Place the baking trays in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes before flipping the cakes over. You want both sides of the fish cakes to have a golden, crusty goodness to it, so leave it for a bit longer if necessary.

If you think it needs it, you may add some more oil to the pan, halfway through cooking.

Once the fish cakes are done, remove them from the oven and place them on kitchen paper to get rid of any excess oil.

Yoghurt dip:

250ml plain yoghurt

a handful of chopped cucumber

a handful of chopped caper berries

Mix the chopped cucumber and caper berries into the yoghurt.

Season the mixture with salt. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serve huge dollops of the dip with the fish cakes.