Mary Berry Salmon Fish Cakes​

Mary Berry’s salmon fish cakes are soft and flaky inside with a crisp golden crust, made with two kinds of salmon, mashed potato, and a sharp hit of horseradish. They’re bound with mayonnaise and fresh chives and parsley, then served with a cool horseradish sauce. From mixing bowl to plate is about an hour and a half, most of it chilling.

She calls these Double Salmon Fish Cakes in Mary Berry & Lucy Young Cook Up a Feast (2010), and the “double” is the whole point. She uses cooked salmon for softness and hot-smoked salmon for a deep, savoury edge, so you get two textures in one bite. Instead of a fiddly béchamel to hold them together, she binds with mayonnaise and creamed horseradish, which is quicker and carries far more flavour.

The one thing that decides whether these work is the chill. Berry shapes the cakes, coats them in breadcrumbs, then chills them for a minimum of an hour before they go near the pan. Skip it and they slump and break apart in the oil the moment you turn them. She also warns they shouldn’t be too thick, because a fat fishcake browns outside before the middle is hot.

Mary Berry Salmon Fish Cakes​

Recipe by Pinch PerfectCourse: Appetizers, SidesCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

8

minutes

Calories

415

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

28

minutes

From Mary Berry & Lucy Young Cook Up a Feast (2010). A make-ahead main that uses both fresh and hot-smoked salmon, with a horseradish sauce mixed in minutes while the cakes chill.

Ingredients

• For the fish cakes:

• 350g (12oz) cooked salmon, skin and bones removed

• 100g (3½oz) hot-smoked salmon

• 450g (1lb) mashed potato

• 3 tbsp mayonnaise

• 2 tbsp creamed horseradish

• 2 heaped tbsp freshly snipped chives

• 2 heaped tbsp freshly chopped parsley

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 egg, beaten

• 50g (1¾oz) fresh breadcrumbs

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges, to garnish

• For the horseradish sauce:

• 150ml (5fl oz) soured cream or full-fat crème fraîche

• 3 tbsp creamed horseradish

• 2 tbsp mayonnaise

• 2 tbsp freshly snipped chives

Directions

• Mix: Put both kinds of salmon, the mashed potato, mayonnaise, horseradish, and herbs into a mixing bowl, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and stir well to combine.
• Shape and chill: Divide the mixture into 12 and shape into fish cakes. They shouldn’t be too thick. Brush with beaten egg, coat with breadcrumbs, and chill for a minimum of an hour.
• Make the sauce: Meanwhile, put all the sauce ingredients into a bowl, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and mix together well. Set aside.
• Fry: Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the fish cakes for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden on the outside and hot in the middle. You may need to do this in batches and keep them warm in the oven.
• Serve: Serve the fish cakes hot with a spoonful of the cold sauce and a lemon wedge.

FAQs

Why does Berry use two kinds of salmon?

The cooked salmon keeps the middle soft and flaky while the hot-smoked salmon brings a stronger, savoury depth that plain poached fish can’t. That contrast is why she named them “double” salmon fish cakes rather than just salmon fish cakes. If you only use one, go for cooked salmon and lift it with an extra spoon of horseradish, because on its own it can taste flat.

Can I use tinned salmon instead of fresh?

You can, and it’s a good way to make these cheaper, though you lose the smoky layer the hot-smoked salmon gives. Drain a tin well and remove any skin and soft bones, then treat it as the cooked salmon portion. Keep a little hot-smoked salmon in the mix if you can, since that’s the ingredient doing the real flavour work here.

How much mash goes in, and does the potato matter?

Berry uses 450g mashed potato to 450g total salmon, so it’s a roughly even split that binds without turning stodgy. Use plain mash with no added milk sloshing about, because wet potato makes a mixture that won’t hold its shape even after chilling. Day-old leftover mash is actually ideal here since it’s drier and firmer.

Do I have to make the horseradish sauce?

No, but it’s mixed in two minutes while the cakes chill, so there’s little reason to skip it. The cold, sharp sauce cuts through the rich fried fish, which ties back to the horseradish already inside the cakes. If you’d rather, a squeeze from the lemon wedge and a spoon of crème fraîche does a similar job.

Can I make these ahead or freeze them?

Yes, and this is where they earn their place at a dinner party. Berry says you can shape and coat them up to a day ahead, or fry them the day before and reheat, and the sauce keeps for 3 days. To freeze, stop at the end of the shaping step and freeze the uncooked cakes for up to 2 months, then fry from defrosted.

What should I serve with salmon fish cakes?

A dressed green salad and the lemon wedge is Berry’s own serving suggestion, keeping it light against the rich fish. Buttered new potatoes or peas work if you want it more filling, though the cakes already carry potato inside. For a starter, make them smaller and serve one per person with a little sauce.