Fishcakes – A Guest Recipe by Amelia Freer

(SERVES 4)

400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
a handful of fresh parsley (or baby leaf spinach)
1 spring onion, sliced
zest and juice of ½ a lemon
2–3 skinless, frozen fish fillets, ideally thawed (2 medium, or 3 if they are small)
1 small egg, beaten
olive oil

Pulse the chickpeas, parsley, spring onion, lemon zest and juice in a food processor a few times. Don’t over-mix, or you’ll end up with houmous.

Add the fish fillets and pulse two or three more times – just enough to break the fish up and mix it through. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl and stir in the beaten egg. This will help to bind the mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Form the mixture into 8 small patties using damp hands (or spoons). Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add a generous amount of light olive oil. Fry the patties in batches for 6 minutes each side, or until golden brown. Don’t be tempted to turn them until they have really crisped up on the bottom, as they have a tendency to fall apart.

tip: Leave the mixture to set in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes if you have time.

This will make the patties easier to shape. You can also use pre-cooked fish in this recipe, such as hot smoked trout, poached salmon or white fish. The best way to poach salmon is to put it into cold water, bring to the boil, simmer for 2 minutes, then take off the heat and allow the salmon to sit in the water for a few minutes to finish cooking.