{the recipe redux} little fish cakes
Sunday, May 20, 2012 at 10:22AM I really wanted to call these what they are - Sardine Cakes.
But let's face it. Sardines are suffering from a bit of an image problem, and I thought I might lose you before this post ever got started.
I recently spoke to a group of my peers at the Alabama Dietetic Association Annual Meeting. The presentation focused on online food trends, and in the course of that session I briefly mentioned the growing popularity of sardines as both a sustainable, nutritious and economical fish option.
The grimaces in the audience were visible. It wasn't a reaction I was terribly surprised over, but it does give cause for concern when you consider that “we” (RDs) are supposed to be the professionals teaching people how to eat better.
I'm convinced that people's aversion to sardines has less to do with the actual food itself (I mean, what's so weird and gross about a "little fish"), and more to do with the fact most of us simply weren't raised knowing how to eat them or cook with them.
Don't tell that to my Dad. He likes 'em straight out of the tin with hot sauce and crackers. Buddy - my grandad and his dad - liked 'em the same way.
I've never taken up the cracker-hot sauce approach. Call me fussy, I guess. I've always wanted to do something a little more to my normal kitchen routine. Being an eternal fan of crab cakes, I went that route. And I kid you not, I was AMAZED at how well these turned out.
I've tried sardines as a "salad" before (think tuna salad), but didn't find that to be the best approach for my tastes. Sardines are admittedly a stronger tasting fish, and while the salad was good, it didn't beg me to make it again.
These cakes do. If you've been afraid of sardines before, you must give these a try.
My initial thought was to serve them as shown above...with just tartar sauce. Good choice. But then I thought of Dad and Buddy and decided hot sauce deserved a shot.
Winner.
The Recipe ReDux has always been about inspiring the healthy eater in all of us - even those of us who grimace at the word “sardine.” Sardines are a nutritional no-brainer, easy on the grocery bill and not at risk for the same sort of overfishing many larger species of fish are (check out this article from Cooking Light to learn more about advocacy for sustainable seafood.) I hope that you will now be inspired to try them, too.
For more great recipes on small fish and vegetables from the sea, please visit the other Recipe ReDux posts below.
Little Fish Cakes ("Sardine Cakes")
Ingredients (9 cakes)
- 1 potato, peeled & diced
- 1 (4.375-ounce) can skinless, boneless sardines, drained
- 2 tablespoons minced onion
- 2 tablespoons loosely packed chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon cornmeal
- 1 egg white
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Finely chopped pistachios or whole wheat panko
- Peanut oil
Instructions
Boil potato 10 to 12 minutes or until tender; drain well and mash with a fork.
Combine potato and next 7 ingredients (through pepper) in a medium bowl. Shape mixture into 9 cakes (about 2 tablespoons each). Dredge each cake in pistachios or panko.
Pour enough oil into a nonstick skillet to cover bottom of pan. Heat over medium-high heat. Add cakes to skillet (in batches if needed so as not to crowd pan) for 1 to 2 minutes per side. Serve with tartar sauce and/or hot sauce.
As the first and only recipe challenge founded by registered dietitians, The Recipe ReDux aims to inspire the food lover in every healthy eater and inspire the healthy eater in every food lover. Thank you for visiting. We hope you enjoy!
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