Salmon Fish Cakes With Dill And Spinach Sauce

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 35 mins Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 500 g potatoes, peeled and rinsed
• salt
• 350 g salmon fillets
• 1/4 chicken stock cube
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
• 1 teaspoon anchovy essence (optional)
• pepper
• 20 g butter
• 20 g flour, plus extra for dusting
• 100 ml milk
• 100 g young spinach leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped dill leaves
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 lemon

Recipe

• 1 boil the potatoes in salted water until tender.
• 2 drain, return to the pan and mash thoroughly without milk, butter or water.
• 3 tip the mash into a mixing bowl.
• 4 meanwhile, place the salmon in a suitable pan and cover with 300ml water.
• 5 crumble in the stock cube and add the bay leaf.
• 6 bring the water to the boil, reduce the heat and cook the fish for five minutes a side (10 minutes if the fish is totally immersed).
• 7 turn off the heat, cover the pan and leave for five minutes.
• 8 add half the fish (keep the stock to use later), the tomato ketchup and anchovy essence (if desired) to the potato.
• 9 season generously with pepper and lightly with salt.
• 10 mix thoroughly until smooth.
• 11 now flake the remaining fish and fold through the mixture.
• 12 form handfuls into eight regular-sized fish cakes or sausages, or 12 smaller ones, laying the fish cakes on a plate as you go.
• 13 chill to firm for at least 15 minutes and up to 24 hours (covered with clingfilm) in the fridge while you make the sauce.
• 14 melt the butter and stir in the flour until smooth.
• 15 discard the bay leaf and gradually add the hot fish stock, stirring constantly, as the sauce comes up to the boil to avoid lumps.
• 16 add the milk and cream.
• 17 reduce the heat and simmer gently for five minutes.
• 18 shred the spinach.
• 19 stir spinach and dill into the thick, creamy sauce.
• 20 cook for a few minutes until the spinach wilts.
• 21 taste and adjust the seasoning.
• 22 preheat the oven to 400f or 200 degrees c.
• 23 oil a baking sheet.
• 24 dust the fish cakes with flour, shaking off any excess.
• 25 heat the oil in a frying pan and, when very hot, fry the fish cakes for about five minutes a side until nicely crusty.
• 26 transfer to the baking sheet and cook in the oven for 10 minutes.
• 27 reheat the sauce and serve with the fish cakes, adding a wedge of lemon.