Mark Moriarty's recipe for smoked haddock fish cakes with salsa roja

Irish Times

2 days ago

Serves
:
2
Course
:
Brunch, Lunch, Dinner
Cooking Time
:
20 mins
Prep Time
:
30 mins
Ingredients
For the fish cakes:
220g naturally smoked haddock, skinless
220g leftover cold mash
Handful fresh parsley, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Sea salt and black pepper
100g plain flour
2 eggs mixed with 50ml of milk, for egg wash
100g panko breadcrumbs
3tbs vegetable oil
For the salsa roja:
4 tomatoes
½ red onion, diced
1 garlic clove, grated
Handful fresh coriander, chopped
Juice of half a lime
1tbs olive oil
½ red chilli, diced
Sea salt and black pepper
2tbs clear malt vinegar
4 eggs
Cut the smoked haddock into small chunks and place in a bowl. Add the leftover mash, chopped parsley, lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Mix together gently with your hands to evenly combine, then shape the mix into four even-sized fish cakes (you can use a small round pastry cutter to help mould the shape).
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees. Set up three bowls: one with flour, one with egg wash, and one with breadcrumbs. Dip the fishcakes in the flour, followed by the egg wash, followed by the breadcrumbs and coat all over. Repeat the process a second time to make sure they are fully coated, then set aside.
Place a nonstick frying pan on a medium heat and add the oil. Add the fish cakes and fry for two to three minutes until golden brown on the base, then turn and fry for two to three minutes on the other side until golden brown. Remove and place them on an oven tray and place in the oven. Cook for 12 minutes at 190 degrees.
While the fish cakes are in the oven, make the salsa roja and poached eggs. Remove the seeds from the tomatoes and discard, then dice the tomatoes into small cubes and place in a bowl. Add the diced onion, grated garlic, chilli, coriander, lime juice, olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine then set aside.
To poach the eggs, pour freshly boiled water from the kettle into a medium-sized to large pot, place on the heat, and bring to the boil. Add the clear malt vinegar and reduce the heat sightly to keep the water simmering. Carefully crack the eggs into the water, cook for two minutes for soft poached eggs, then remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and place on some kitchen paper to remove excess water
To serve, place the fish cakes on serving plates and spoon on some salsa roja. Finish with the poached eggs on top.