Mary Berry Very Posh Fishcakes

Mary Berry’s very posh fishcakes are smoked haddock cakes with a hidden Parmesan and mustard fondant sauce inside, coated in fine panko breadcrumbs. They’re pan-fried until golden, then finished in the oven at 200°C (180°C fan/Gas 6) for 15 minutes. The recipe makes 4.

Berry’s headnote in Everyday (2017) explains the name. She says “when you cut into them, a wonderful cheesy sauce oozes out, which means no extra sauce is needed.” She suggests serving them with dressed lamb’s lettuce leaves.

Getting the fondant sauce thick enough is the key technique. Berry makes a butter-flour roux, whisks in hot milk, then adds Parmesan, mustard and lemon juice. It needs to cool for 15 minutes before you spoon it inside each fishcake.

Mary Berry Very Posh Fishcakes

Recipe by Pinch PerfectCourse: AppetizersCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

25

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

405

kcal

From Mary Berry Everyday (2017), smoked haddock fishcakes with a surprise cheese and mustard sauce hidden in the centre. No separate sauce needed because it’s already inside.

Ingredients

• For the fishcakes:

• 325g (11 oz) floury potatoes (about 1 large), peeled and cubed
  

• 325g (11 oz) undyed smoked haddock fillets
  

• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
  

• A knob of butter
  

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  

• 4 lemon wedges, to serve
  

• For the fondant sauce:

• 15g (½ oz) butter
  

• 15g (½ oz) plain flour
  

• 160ml (5 fl oz) milk
  

• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  

• ½ tablespoon lemon juice
  

• 25g (1 oz) Parmesan cheese, grated
  

• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  

• For the breadcrumb coating:

• 1 egg
  

• 3 tablespoons plain flour
  

• About 75g (3 oz) fine panko breadcrumbs
  

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6.
  
• Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for about 15 minutes or until tender, then drain and mash well before setting aside to cool.
  
• To cook the haddock, arrange the fillets, skin side up, on a sheet of foil and fold over the fish to make a parcel. Place on a baking tray and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until just cooked. Open the foil and peel the skin from each of the fillets, then set aside in the tin to cool in the juices. Leave the oven switched on and place a baking sheet inside to get very hot.
  
• When the fish is cold, remove from the tin (reserving the juices) and flake large pieces into a bowl. Add the mash, mix gently to combine and season with salt and pepper. Chill in the fridge while you make the sauce.
  
• Melt the 15g (½ oz) of butter in a small saucepan, add the 15g (½ oz) of flour and whisk over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes until smooth. Heat the milk in a separate pan, then gradually whisk into the butter and flour roux until you have a thick smooth sauce. Add the mustard, lemon juice, Parmesan and parsley, along with 2 tablespoons of the reserved fish cooking juices. Tip into a bowl and leave to cool for 15 minutes.
  
• Divide the fish mixture into quarters and shape into four even-sized balls. Using your thumbs, make a deep well in the centre of each ball and spoon in thick cooled sauce until it comes to within 1cm (½ in) of the top. Push some of the fish mixture on top so the cheese sauce is encased within the ball, then place on a board and press down a little to flatten into a fishcake.
  
• Beat the egg for the coating in a shallow bowl, sprinkle the flour on to a plate and add the breadcrumbs to another plate. Coat each fishcake all over, first in the flour, then in the egg and finally the breadcrumbs, pressing the breadcrumbs in well and up the sides to ensure the fishcake is fully covered. Set aside on a plate until ready to cook.
  
• Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan, add the fishcakes and carefully fry over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden all over. Transfer to the hot baking sheet and slide into the oven to cook for 15 minutes or until piping hot inside.
  
• Serve hot with the lemon wedges.
  

FAQs

Why does Berry use panko breadcrumbs here?

Berry’s tip in Everyday is clear: “panko breadcrumbs are my favourite as they stay crisp during cooking and give a lovely texture.” Standard breadcrumbs soften in the oven, but panko stays crunchy because the flakes are larger and lighter. That crunch matters because these fishcakes spend 15 minutes in the oven after frying.

She also warns that “different brands vary in coarseness” and says to use very fine panko for this recipe. If yours are coarse, Berry says to “place in a resealable freezer bag and bash with a rolling pin to make them finer.” Coarse panko doesn’t press into the fishcake surface properly and leaves gaps where the sauce can leak.

How do I shape the fishcakes without them falling apart?

Berry suggests using wet hands, which stops the mash sticking to your fingers. Shape the mix into four even balls first, then use your thumbs to press a deep well into the centre. Don’t fill the sauce right to the top because it’s hard to reseal the ball once it’s full.

Berry says not to fill “quite to the top” for exactly this reason. Push the fish mixture over the sauce opening, then press the whole thing down gently on a board to flatten it into a cake shape. The flour-egg-breadcrumb coating in step 7 seals everything together, so small cracks in the surface won’t matter.

Can I use salmon instead of smoked haddock?

Berry’s double salmon fishcakes from Cook Up a Feast (2010) are her salmon version, though simpler and without the hidden sauce. To get the fondant surprise with salmon, swap the haddock for the same weight of salmon fillet. Bake it in foil the same way.

You’ll lose the smoky flavour that smoked haddock brings, so consider adding a pinch of smoked paprika to the fish and potato mix. The fondant sauce works with any white or pink fish because the Parmesan and mustard do the heavy lifting on flavour.

How far ahead can I make these?

Berry gives two options in her Prepare Ahead note. Shape and coat the fishcakes up to a full day before cooking, keeping them covered in the fridge. Or pan-fry them up to 8 hours ahead, then finish in the oven for 30 minutes instead of 15.

The uncooked fishcakes also freeze well, which Berry confirms. Freeze them on a tray lined with baking parchment until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Cook from frozen by adding 5–10 extra minutes to the oven time after the initial pan-fry.

What if I have leftover fondant sauce?

Berry thought of this. Her tip says “if you have any of the fondant sauce left over, warm through in a small milk pan and serve on the side.” It’s thick enough to spoon alongside the fishcakes, rich with Parmesan and mustard.

The sauce also works spooned over steamed vegetables. Berry pairs cheese sauces with cauliflower and broccoli across her books. This fondant version is sharper than her standard cauliflower cheese sauce because of the mustard and lemon.

Can I skip the oven step and just fry them longer?

Berry uses the two-stage method for a reason. Pan-frying alone would mean cooking over a medium heat for much longer, and the outside would brown too much before the centre gets hot. The oven heats the fishcake evenly from all sides, which is why the sauce inside reaches that oozing temperature.

The hot baking sheet from step 1 is part of the technique. Berry preheats it in the oven so the fishcakes hit a scorching surface from the bottom too. If you’re short on time, Berry’s salmon terrine is a no-cook fish starter that chills overnight instead.