These Cod & Leek Cakes with Tartar Sauce are a new take on my traditional Cod Cakes. Cod cakes made using leeks, potatoes and cod fish and served with a tangy tartar sauce. A great mid week dinner for the family!
All seafood lovers put your hands up? Mine are up, way up! However, as much as I love fish and seafood, I don’t cook with it nearly as often as I’d like because of some picky eaters. Feeding a family problems 101! But seriously, if I only had to cook for myself there there would be no stopping me…haha!
If you follow along, you will see an entire section devoted to Fish and Seafood. So many delicious dishes like Mike’s Seafood & Sweetcorn Chowder and so much more.
Ingredients
- For the Fish Cakes
- Fresh – cod fillets, potatoes, leek, parsley
- Dairy – milk
- Dried goods – flour
- For frying – I used olive oil, but you could use vegetable oil
- For the Tartar Sauce
- Condiments – mayonnaise and Dijon mustard
- Flavours – dill pickles, capers, Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce
- Fresh – parsley and lemon juice
- Seasonings – dried tarragon
- Tartar Sauce recipe adapted from Epicurious.
And this Tartar Sauce would go excellent with my Lemon Crusted Baked Cod. You got to check that recipe out is you love quick and delicious dinners.
Instructions
- Make Tartar Sauce – First make the tartar sauce. Whisk together all the ingredients and set aside.
- Cook potatoes – In a medium saucepan of boiling water, add the potatoes and cook until soft. This will take about 15 minutes. When cooked, remove from heat, drain and set aside
- Cook fish – Meanwhile, in another medium saucepan of boiling water, add the cod fish and boil for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain the water. Leave to cool so you can handle it.
- Cook leeks – In a medium skillet, add one tablespoon of olive oil and the leeks. Cook the leeks over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until they are soft and lightly golden. Take off heat.
- Remove skin and bones from fish – Once the fish is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and you will notice that the fish will just flake apart. Remove any bones that you find in the fish and discard them.
- Put the mixture together – In a large mixing bowl, add the potatoes and the two tablespoons of milk and mash really well. Now add the fish, leeks, parsley, oregano and salt & pepper. With a wooden spoon, stir to combine. When it is all combined you can start making your fish cakes.
- Form fishcakes – Form small balls out of the mixture, 10 give or take. On a lightly floured surface, flatten out the fish cakes into disks. Repeat for all fish cakes then coat completely in flour.
- Fry fishcakes – In a large skillet set over moderate heat, add two tablespoons of the olive oil and bring to a high heat. When you put the fish cakes in the pan you want them to instantly sizzle. Cook for about 6 minutes or until it is golden brown and flip over. Continue cooking the other side for the same amount of time, or until golden brown. Repeat for whatever fish cakes you have left. Use the remaining olive oil to cook the rest of the fish cakes.
- Serve – Best served immediately. Can be reheated in the oven for best results.
Recipe Notes About The cod Cakes With Tartar Sauce
- First, I always get the potatoes on because they take the longest. Then I started on the leeks. As soon as they were in the pan, I put the fish on to boil. Fish cooks quite quickly, so it is done before everything else. If you do it this way, you won’t have to wait around for things to cook too long.
- Just a little word about the fish. Cod fish usually comes with the skin on. Well, I am sure you can buy it in the freezer with no skin as well. For the most part though, I see it with the skin on. Don’t try removing it before you cook the fish because it’s more difficult and unnecessary. Once the fish is cooked, the skin peels straight off, easy. Also, make sure you look out for extra bones, because there will always be some.
- Putting these fish cakes together is as easy as you see in the recipe below. If you find the mixture sticking to your hands, just lightly flour your hands and problem solved.
- When cooking them, be careful not to have the heat too high or you will likely burn them and they will probably be a greasy mess. I always start the heat medium-high and adjust as I see fit through cooking.
They really are best served as soon as they are cooked. If you are going to be reheating them, I recommend the oven not the microwave. But if you not fussy, the microwave will do.
Ok, I think that’s about it for today. Happy cooking friends!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you keep fish cakes from falling apart?
This is a common problem with fish cakes. Make sure the mixture isn’t too wet and it’s a good idea to chill them before frying.
Can you use frozen cod for fish cakes?
Yes, frozen cod works great for fish cakes.
Cod and Leek Cakes with Tartar Sauce
These Cod & Leek Cakes with Tartar Sauce are a new take on my traditional Cod Cakes.ย Cod cakes made using leeks, potatoes and cod fish and served with a tangy tartar sauce. A great mid week dinner for the family!
Servings: 10 Fish Cakes
Calories: 435kcal
Ingredients
For the fish cakes:
- 2 cod fillets about 1lb
- 3 medium potatoes peeled and cut into small pieces
- 4 tablespoons milk
- 1 leek thinly sliced cross ways
- Small handful of fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup flour for coating
- 5 tablespoons olive oil for frying
For the tartar sauce:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 dill pickles finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons green onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon capers drained
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
Instructions
- First make the tartar sauce. Whisk together all the ingredients and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan of boiling water, add the potatoes and cook until soft. This will take about 15 minutes. When cooked, remove from heat, drain and set aside
- Meanwhile, in another medium saucepan of boiling water, add the cod fish and boil for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain the water. Leave to cool so you can handle it.
- In a medium skillet, add one tablespoon of olive oil and the leeks. Cook the leeks over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until they are soft and lightly golden. Remove from heat.
- Once the fish is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and you will notice that the fish will just flake apart. Remove any bones that you find in the fish and discard them.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the potatoes and the two tablespoons of milk and mash really well. Now add the fish, leeks, parsley, oregano and salt & pepper. With a wooden spoon, stir to combine. When it is all combined you can start making your fish cakes.
- Form small balls out of the mixture, 10 give or take. On a lightly floured surface, flatten out the fish cakes into disks. Repeat for all fish cakes then coat completely in flour.
- In a large skillet set over moderate heat, add two tablespoons of the olive oil and bring to a high heat. When you put the fish cakes in the pan you want them to instantly sizzle. Cook for about 6 minutes or until it is golden brown and flip over. Continue cooking the other side for the same amount of time, or until golden brown. Repeat for whatever fish cakes you have left. Use the remaining olive oil to cook the rest of the fish cakes.
- Best served immediately. Can be reheated in the oven for best results.
*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Nutrition Facts
Cod and Leek Cakes with Tartar Sauce
Amount Per Serving (2 fishcakes)
Calories 435
Calories from Fat 225
% Daily Value*
Fat 25g38%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 11g
Monounsaturated Fat 9g
Cholesterol 87mg29%
Sodium 628mg27%
Potassium 1069mg31%
Carbohydrates 16g5%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 34g68%
Vitamin A 294IU6%
Vitamin C 16mg19%
Calcium 60mg6%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
