The budget cookery group for the U3A were here Tuesday afternoon and one of the things we made was fish cakes. We did one version using a tin of sardines in tomato sauce, and another using a tin of tuna canned in oil.

Sardines in Tomato Sauce Fish Cakes

Tin of sardines in tomato sauce, Asda 34p
250g Potatoes, Asda, 2.5kg/£1.19, 12p
A large onion, 5p
1 tblsp Veg oil for frying, Asda, 1 litre/95p, 1p
total cost 52p
Total nutrition – 516 calories, 26g protein, 25g fat, 47g carbs

Makes 4 fish cakes to serve 2 people. Per serving, 258 calories, 13g protein, 12g fat,  23g carbs

Peel and chop the onion and cook until it is as cooked as you like them. The onion won’t get any more significant cooking, so cook it through now.

Peel and cook the potatoes and mash them well, get all the lumps out. No need for butter or anything.

Now mix the onion, potato and fish together. Season well. I added lots of black pepper and some preserved lemon, which worked really well.

You could use tinned potatoes, or instant mashed potatoes, either would work well with these strong flavours.

Shape the mixture with your hands into fish cakes and fry until the outside is crispy. Serve immediately.

Tuna Fish Cakes

Tin of tuna, Asda 160g/54p
250g Potatoes, Asda, 2.5kg/£1.19, 12p
A large onion, 5p
1 tblsp Veg oil for frying, Asda, 1 litre/95p, 1p
total cost 72p
Total nutrition – 528 calories, 52g protein, 16g fat, 44g carbs

Makes 4 fish cakes to serve 2 people. Per serving, 264 calories, 26g protein, 8g fat, 22g carbs

Peel and chop the onion and cook until it is as cooked as you like them. The onion won’t get any more significant cooking, so cook it through now.

Peel and cook the potatoes and mash them well, get all the lumps out. No need for butter or anything.

If your tuna is canned in oil, personally, I would add the oil. I did in the version we cooked this week. If you don’t want to add the oil in the tin, you could use it to fry your finished fish cakes. If your tuna is canned in brine, definitely drain it.

Now mix the onion, potato and fish together. Season well. I added lots of black pepper and some preserved lemon, which worked really well.

You could use tinned potatoes, or instant mashed potatoes, either would work well with these strong flavours.

Shape the mixture with your hands into fish cakes and fry until the outside is crispy. Serve immediately.

I used some tuna that I have lots and lots of from an Approved Foods order.

Variations

These would taste delicious with just the onion, fish and potato. If you want to add other flavourings, the preserved lemon were lovely, so a bit of lemon zest would work too. Maybe a few fine chopped olives; a bit of chilli sauce in the mix, or over the top; maybe some garlic and ginger; or some curry paste or powder. Some flavoured oil leftover from a jar of sun dried tomatoes or artichokes would add lovely flavour, either mixed in or used to fry with.

If you have chives in the garden, they would work well, maybe a little very fine chopped rosemary, or flakes of mint.

If you want to, you could coat the outside in flour, breadcrumbs, polenta, or anything else that would give a crispier finish.

This amount of potato seems about right, I wouldn’t try to stretch them by adding any more, they would then taste like those fish cakes you sometimes get in a pub – all potato, no fish.

 

If you have littlies to feed, you could make fairy sized versions, children always seem to like very small things.

I have an ancient tin of kippers that I’ve never fancied eating that I think I’ll use for this, and a small tin of pilchards that have been in the cupboard a long time. Pilchards are currently £1.08 for a 400g tin in Asda which at 27p/100g is  marginally cheaper than even SmartPrice sardines