Crab cakes have always been my husband’s absolute favorite seafood recipe. That was, until he tried this new fish cake recipe =) We both agree, they really are the best fish cakes either of us have ever had. Our son even went crazy for them! As a bonus, they are easier to make than all of the other recipes I researched and tested. I also can’t help but point out that fish cakes are substantially less expensive to make than crab cakes (this is the best crab cake recipe by the way!)
And even though they may not look (or taste!) like it, these fish cakes are completely inline with the anti-inflammatory clean eating guidelines we outline in our book.
The Secret (I Think?) to Making the Best Fish Cakes
While trying to come up with this recipe, I tested a number of other fish cake recipes. Many were very good, but some simply did not hold together. At all.
If there was one big secret to making the best fish cake recipe, I would have ton say it would be using raw fish…
An Easier & Better Way to Make Fish Cakes
Time after time the other fish cake recipes I tried called for cooking the fish first (this also adds an extra step!) and then mixing the cooked fish with the binding ingredients (egg, mayo, breadcrumbs, etc.) I followed the directions exact and each time I had difficulty keeping my fish cakes together when I used cooked fish.
Raw is the way to go, in my book anyway…
Go Raw & Shred
What worked the best for me was to use raw wild cod and then follow these 4 simple steps:
- Shred the raw cod in a food processor.
- Mix the shredded raw cod with the binding ingredients (I kept mine clean though!)
- Use your hands to form fish cakes.
- Pan sear your fish cakes in a little organic unrefined red palm oil (red palm oil is a superfood oil, by the way) and finish in the oven.
Easy peasy!
Keep It Clean
As for keeping my fish cake recipe clean, here’s what I did different than most recipes:
- Instead of panko, saltines or processed breadcrumbs, I made my own breadcrumbs using sprouted whole grain spelt bread. Note: For this recipe I prefer Berlin Natural Bakery Sprouted Whole Grain Bread.
- Instead of deep frying in a refined and pro-inflammatory oil, I lightly pan-seared my fish cakes in a heat-stable, unrefined superfood oil, Organic, Unrefined Red Palm Oil. I finished the fish cakes in the oven.
- I used hummus instead of mayonnaise. Note: If you want to use mayo, you can make a healthy, unrefined version using this clean mayonnaise recipe.
- I used organic, pasture-raised eggs rather than conventional eggs. Note: Vital Farms distributes their organic, pasture-raised eggs nationwide.
- I used wild cod rather than a farm-raised white fish. Note: Learn more about the best tips for choosing the healthiest fish.
Ok, let’s make some fish cakes!!
How to Make the Best Fish Cakes
Here's how to make the absolute best fish cakes! Not only are these the tastiest fish cakes you will ever try, they are surely the healthiest too.
Ingredients
- 4 slices toasted whole grain bread (for this recipe, I like sprouted Spelt bread by Berlin Natural Bakery)
- 1 pound raw wild cod, patted super dry, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 organic, pasture-raised eggs, whisked
- 1 tablespoon very finely chopped shallots
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons hummus
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
- Organic, unrefined red palm oil (for cooking)
- Dijon mustard, for dipping (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Put the toasted bread slices in a food processor and process into crumbs. Spread ½ of the breadcrumbs on a plate and put the remaining breadcrumbs in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Put the cod pieces in the food processor and process until fish is shredded. Set shredded cod aside.
- To the bowl with the breadcrumbs, add the eggs, shallots, thyme, lemon juice, hummus, Dijon mustard and salt. Mix ingredients thoroughly. Add in the shredded cod and mix well.
- To form the fish cakes, grab a golf-ball size handful of the fish mixture and squeeze it gently together with your hands just enough for it to come together. Using the palms of your hand, flatten the ball so that the fish cakes are about 1/3 of an inch thick. Dip both sides of the fish cakes in the breadcrumbs. Place coated fish cake on an empty plate and repeat with remaining ingredients.
- Set a large oven-proof skillet over medium-low heat and add a thin layer of oil to cover the bottom. When the oil is hot, cook the fish cakes (in batches) for about 3 minutes per side, or until light golden brown .
- Transfer the skillet with the fish cakes to the oven and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until fish is cooked through. Serve warm with Dijon mustard as a dipping sauce (optional)
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cleancuisine
TRYING TO EAT CLEAN?
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What is the parchment lined baking sheet for?
I’m so glad you caught that mistake Katrina! My skillet was too small to fit all of the fish cakes so I put them on a parchment-lined baking sheet to finish in the oven. I just corrected the error on the recipe though. Thank you for letting me know 😉
I made these fish cakes with canned tuna, I doubled the other ingredients as it was a large can of tuna and they turned out great 🙂
Have leftovers for lunch 🙂
Oh I am so happy to know you liked them Lisa! And yes, I often do the same with doubling the recipe—I’m very big into leftovers for lunch over here 😉
I had trouble with them falling apart while browning. I think I made them larger then golf ball size and maybe didn’t flatten them enough. Do you think squeezing some of the water out of the fish would help before mixing with the breadcrumb mixture? Is it correct to only coat one side of the balls? If so, what side do you brown them on? Maybe having them in the oven will bring it all together because you can’t beat the flavors in the mixture.
Hi Bobbi,
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. But oh gosh, they definitely should not be falling apart. Having said that, yes!! You definitely need to drain the fish well, squeezing out as much liquid as possible will give you the best results (I am going to make that more clear in the directions!) It is also important to flatten them enough too. As for coating, you coat BOTH sides. I am so sorry I didn’t make this all clear enough in the directions. But yes, transferring them to the oven will help dry up excess liquid moisture but not make them “dry” (hope that makes sense?) Anyway, I am so glad you liked the flavor though! I am going to make those tweaks in the recipe now. Thank you again for commenting!
My follow up: Yes, definitely keep them at golf ball size. I made mine too big, which I believe created some fall apart action in the pan. But I persevered, put them in the oven and they came out put together and completely delicious. So tasty dipped in the Dijon. My daughter loved them too! Great recipe!!!
Hi again Bobbi! I missed that you had a follow-up when responding to your first comment. Anyway, I am so glad all turned out ok =) I am still going to tweak the recipe though just to make it all super clear. And I am so happy your daughter liked them too. Thank you again for taking the time to comment (twice!)