Well it’s been some time since our last post but we’ve been travelling quite a bit. In fact, you can say all that globetrotting is what inspired this recipe. Everytime we are set to leave, Darsh goes about ensuring we use up the food in the fridge and that means finding ways to cook off and consume the meat, fruits and vegetables; or preserve them for later use.
It was such a raid of the fridge when Darsh realises that we have beautiful seafood, namely a gorgeous fillet of mackerel and a can of beautiful Indonesian crab meat, that we must use up. Oh, and potatoes. There are always potatoes. After all, there is only so much rösti one can make.
So, lightbulb moment! Fish and crab cakes. Mackerel is a delicious but strong-flavoured fish, so the sweetness of the crab meat would do nicely to lighten the fishy flavour, while the potatoes would add density and give the cakes a more patty-like texture. The best part? You needn’t cook these all in one go! No, no, no! That’s the genius part. You can freeze them and when, like us, you return home to an empty fridge or you’re too lazy to do heavy cooking, these babies are perfect, no defrosting necessary at all.
Plus, sandwiched in between two beautifully grilled yet soft burger buns, and paired with the sweet, sour and spicy mango salsa and Sriracha mayo (you can use Samurai sauce as i believe it is called in the West), you have a delightful, light meal with a kick.
Ingredients
- 1 large egg + 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 cup panic bread crumbs, seasoned with salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
- 4 slices of cheddar
- 1 medium to large mango, diced
- 1-2 medium red chillies (depending on your heat tolerance)
- Handful coriander, chopped
- 1/4- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 4 burger buns, halved
- Sriracha mayonnaise
- For fish cakes
- 1 mackerel fillet (150-160g), deboned
- 150-160g lump crab meat (precooked)
- 300g potatoes, boiled
- 1 large red chili, chopped
- 1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
- 1 tbsp spring onions, chopped
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp pepper, course
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- To make the patties, roast mackerel fillet, skin side up, in a preheated oven at 200°C for roughly 20 minutes, or until cooked.
- Once done, remove skins and allow fish to cool.
- Meanwhile, remove skins from potatoes and mash.
- Once cooled, flake the fish as fine as possible, followed by crab meat. You can even use the food processor for this bit, just ensure you do not over processed the meat.
- Mix the fish, crab with the potatoes and other fish cake ingredients and mix just until combined. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Cover the mixture in clingfilm and chill in the refrigerator for at least half an hour so that the mixture becomes firm.
- With slightly wet hands, shape the fish cakes by forming the into balls and slightly flattening them, ever so gently. [If you still feel the fish cakes are too soft, you can place the covered patties in the fridge for another half hour]
- Prepare three large trays for dredging: Place the flour in the first tray.
- Lightly mix the egg with the water, and pour into the second tray
- Breadcrumbs go into the third.
- Take each fish cake and dredge first in the flour, then egg mixture, and lastly in the breading.
- Separate four patties and freeze the rest* for later use. Fry the four patties about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until beautiful crispy golden.
- Meanwhile, butter the burger buns and grill on a hot griddle pan.
- For the mango salsa, merely mix the diced mango, cut chilli, cilantro and lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice if needed.
- Now assemble! Smother the lower half of the burger buns with hot Sriracha mayo. Top with the delicious fish cakes, then cheese and slather with mango salsa.
*Freeze em!
Our recipe makes up to 9 patties, more or less, depending on the size you make them. If you are not using all at once, merely freeze the leftover patties on a lined baking tray. Once frozen, transfer to freezer bags, separated by baking/ grease paper. We stored ours two per bags to make it easier.
Tip
Not in the mood for a burger? These Mackerel and Crab cakes can be eaten on their own, or pair them with other dishes. We also had them with delicious angel hair pasta tossed in butter and cheese, for example. Get creative!
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