Gluten Free Salmon Fish Cakes with Dill Salsa Verde

The hot smoked salmon used along with fresh salmon in this recipe adds a lovely smokiness to the fish cakes, a delicious contrast to the sweetness of the sweet potato.  This is used instead of potato, just a little to help hold the fish together rather than to bulk out the fish cakes.  For a gluten free coating, polenta replaces the more usual breadcrumbs.  As well as being gluten free, the yellow of the polenta gives the coating a lovely golden colouring.  Although fish cakes are usually shallow fried, baking them in the oven with a drizzle of oil makes them much healthier.

Ring moulds are fantastic for making fish cakes.  The size I find most useful are the ones about 7cm (2¾") in diameter.  Instead of shaping the fish cakes by hand you simply press the mixture into the rings, remove the rings and you have perfectly round shaped fish cakes.  It's far quicker and much less messy than shaping them by hand and easier to make evenly sized fish cakes.

Fish cakes are incredibly versatile, they are equally at home for breakfast, or as a light lunch or supper as they are as a starter for a dinner party.  To jazz them up for a dinner party simply place some baby lettuce leaves on a plate, then a fish cake and top with a spoonful of the salsa verde and finally, a sprig of dill to garnish.

Gluten Free Salmon Fish Cakes with Dill Salsa Verde

Serves 4 as a Main Course & Serves 8 as a Starter

Ingredients

Salmon Fish Cakes

250g Cooked Fresh Salmon, skinless & boneless

250g Hot Smoked Salmon

150g Cooked Sweet Potato Mash

75g Spring Onions, finely chopped

Zest & Juice of 1 Lemon

Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Polenta, for coating

Rapeseed Oil, for cooking

Dill Salsa Verde

15g Capers

25g Gherkins

2 Spring Onions, roughly chopped

25g Dill

15g Parsley

Zest & Juice of ½ Lemon

50ml Rapeseed Oil

Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Flake the fresh and hot smoked salmon into a bowl, add the sweet potato mash and using a fork, them all together.  Then, add the lemon juice and zest and spring onions and mix well.  Season to taste with the salt and pepper.

Shape into 8 fish cakes either by hand or by pressing the mixture into ring moulds approx 7cm (2¾") in dia.  Place in the fridge until chilled.

Tip some polenta into a shallow container and gently press the fish cakes into the polenta to coat all sides.

Preheat the oven to 200?/180? Fan.

Heat a baking tray in the oven.  Place the fish cakes on the hot tray and drizzle with rapeseed oil.  Cook for 15 minutes and then turn over and cook for a further 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and piping hot in the centre.

Whilst the fish cakes are cooking, make the dill salsa verde.  Rinse the capers and gherkins to remove any excess salt or vinegar.  Place in the mini bowl of a food processor along with the spring onions, herbs, lemon juice and zest and oil.  Blitz until a chunky sauce forms.  Season to taste.  Add a little water if you prefer a thinner consistency to the sauce.

Serve with the fish cakes.

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