Fish Cakes with Mango Salsa and hot sauce
(I serve this dish as an appetizer)
watch the video
Fish Cakes:
- 1½ cups flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. onion finely minced
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- 5½ oz. salted cod
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme – use leaves only
- ¼ tsp. Scotch bonnet yellow pepper
- Approx. 1 cup cold water
- Canola, corn or regular vegetable oil
Method:
- To desalt cod, bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Discard water and cook again for another 5 minutes – don’t over cook – some salt should remain in fish for flavour. Rinse fish in cold water and remove bones and skin (you can purchase boneless cod if you want to pass on this step). Flake fish into small pieces
- Sift together into a bowl: flour: baking powder and salt. Add black pepper, thyme (leaves only), garlic, onion, and scotch bonnet pepper. Add water gradually to mixture stirring until batter’s consistency is thick and smooth (should fall off spoon in globs). Lastly, add cod and mix in just until evenly distributed in batter – don’t over mix.
- Heat oil to medium hot. Drop spoonfuls of batter into oil. Cook for a few minutes (until bubbles forms on cake (kind of like cooking pancakes). Flip over and cook on other side. Keep cakes warm until you have done them all. Cut in quarters and serve with bowl of mango salsa and hot sauce.
Mango Salsa:
- 1 (not fully ripe) mango peeled and small diced.
- 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 lime)
- 2 tsp. white vinegar or rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. white sugar
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Method:
- Place mango in bowl. Mix together ingredients and combine with mango.
Hot sauce:
- Any bottled hot sauce. I like yellow Capsicum (Scotch Bonnet pepper brand).