These are the most perfect little Crispy Cod Cakes with Parsley Sauce. Not only do they make a great dinner, they can also be served as a starter or an appetizer. If you love fish, you have to give these a try.

These little cakes are not too dissimilar to my regular, and favourite, Fresh Cod Fish Cakes.  The exception is that these are made smaller and higher.  As well, they are covered in fine bread crumbs and then fried in vegetable oil.  They are so crispy and they go perfect with the parsley sauce. 

And if you’re on the hunt for a fresher cod dish, my Lemon Crusted Baked Cod is excellent! And for some variety, you should check out the Pan Fried Hake.

Ingredients

• 2 cod fillets about 1lb
• 3 potatoes medium, peeled and cut into small pieces
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 onion small, finely chopped
• Small handful of fresh parsley finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 Cup vegetable oil for frying

For the Parsley Sauce:

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1/4 Cup flour
• 1 Teaspoon mustard
• 1 Cup milk
• A handful of parsley roughly chopped
• Salt and fresh ground pepper

REMEMBER, The full recipe and instructions is always found at the end of the post in the recipe card.

Instructions

1. Make the parsley sauce – First make the sauce. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour until a paste forms and cook for a further minute or so. Stir in the mustard and milk. Continue whisking until a smooth sauce appears. this will only take a minutes. Add parsley, salt and pepper. Set aside
2. Cook the potatoes – In a medium saucepan of boiling water, add the potatoes and cook until soft. This will take about 15 to 20 minutes. When cooked, remove from heat, drain and set aside
3. Cook the 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.
4. 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.
5. Combine all ingredients to make fish cakes – In a large mixing bowl, add the potatoes and roughly mash with a fork. Now add the fish, onion, parsley, oregano and salt & pepper. With a wooden spoon, stir to combine. When it is all combined you can start making your fish cakes.
6. For into small patties – Evenly divide your mixture into 12 portions. Using both hands, form a ball and then gently flatten each one slightly until they take the desired shape. Repeat these steps for remaining fish cakes.
7. Coat in bread crumbs – Next, on a clean working surface, spread out the bread crumbs. With one fish cake at a time, completely coat it in the bread crumbs and put on a clean plate. Repeat for further fish cakes.
8. Cook fish cakes – In a large skillet set over moderate heat, add the oil and bring up to temperature. When you put the fish cakes in the pan you want them to instantly sizzle. Cook for about 5 minutes or until it is golden brown and flip over. I usually use a silicone spatula to do this, and I have more control in flipping them. Continue cooking the other side for the same amount of time, or until golden brown. Repeat for whatever fish cakes you have left.
9. Serve – Serve immediately topped with the parsley sauce.

Recipe Tips

• Read entire recipe – This recipe has several parts with quite a few ingredients in total. Make sure to read the full recipe before starting.
• Making the sauce – I did not include step-by-step-photos for the sauce, but you can see the full written out recipe in the recipe card at the bottom of post.
• Cooking times – It’s a good idea to cook the potatoes and the fish at the same time. This will save on overall time.

Recipe Substitutions

• Cod fish – I used frozen cod fish for this recipe but you could easily use fresh if you have it. But I know most people won’t have fresh fish! As well, any white fish like haddock or hake would also work for this recipe.
• Onions – I used white onion in these fish cakes, as they give quite a subtle flavour. If you prefer, you could use brown onions or even leeks. Keep in mind, if you use leeks, you should sautee them for a few minutes before adding them to the mixture.

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US CustomaryMetric

Crispy Cod Cakes with Parsley Sauce

These are the most perfect little Crispy Cod Cakes with Parsley Sauce. Not only do they make a great dinner, they can also be served as a starter or an appetizer. If you love fish, you have to give these a try.

Prep Time35 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: British, North American

Keyword: cod fish, Seafood

Servings: 12 cod cakes

Calories: 285kcal

Author: Julia Pinney

Ingredients

• 2 cod fillets about 1lb
• 3 potatoes medium, peeled and cut into small pieces
• 1 onion small, finely chopped
• Small handful of fresh parsley finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 Cup vegetable oil for frying

For the Parsley Sauce:

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1/4 Cup flour
• 1 Teaspoon mustard
• 1 Cup milk
• A handful of parsley roughly chopped
• Salt and fresh ground pepper

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• First make the sauce. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour until a paste forms and cook for a further minute or so. Stir in the mustard and milk. Continue whisking until a smooth sauce appears. this will only take a minutes. Add parsley, salt and pepper. Set aside
• In a medium saucepan of boiling water, add the potatoes and cook until soft. This will take about 15 to 20 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.
• 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 roughly mash with a fork. Now add the fish, onion, parsley, oregano and salt & pepper. With a wooden spoon, stir to combine. When it is all combined you can start making your fish cakes.
• Evenly divide your mixture into 12 portions. Using both hands, form a ball and then gently flatten each one slightly until they take the desired shape. Repeat these steps for remaining fish cakes.
• Next, on a clean working surface, spread out the bread crumbs. With one fish cake at a time, completely coat it in the bread crumbs and put on a clean plate. Repeat for further fish cakes.
• In a large skillet set over moderate heat, add the oil and bring up to temperature. When you put the fish cakes in the pan you want them to instantly sizzle. Cook for about 5 minutes or until it is golden brown and flip over. I usually use a silicone spatula to do this, and I have more control in flipping them. Continue cooking the other side for the same amount of time, or until golden brown. Repeat for whatever fish cakes you have left.
• Serve immediately topped with the parsley sauce.

*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

Nutrition Facts

Crispy Cod Cakes with Parsley Sauce

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 285 Calories from Fat 99

% Daily Value*

Fat 11g17%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Cholesterol 77mg26%

Sodium 170mg7%

Potassium 900mg26%

Carbohydrates 17g6%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 30g60%

Vitamin A 218IU4%

Vitamin C 13mg16%

Calcium 70mg7%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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