Fishcakes with Chilli and tomato Jam

This is a nice simple dish that can be done as a starter or a main, i made it for the first time @ the weekend for the inlaws, it seemed to go down really well so i thought id post it and let you make up your own minds.

As usual the measurements are a bit iffy as i made it up as i went along!

They can be made in advance, up to the breadcrumb stage then kept in the fridge.

Ingredients

Chilli and tomato jam

(this makes 1 small pot)

• 3 red chillis (just standard supermarket ones are fine although it works with just about every chilli)
• handful of cherry tomatoes (about 12 or so)
• 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
• 150g sugar
• 2 cloves of garlic

Fishcakes

(this makes 12 small fishcakes)

• 420g fish – i used haddock fillets
• 1 packet (250g)  raw king prawns
• 400g of maris piper or king edward potatoes
• butter
• breadcrumbs (i made my own fresh by blitzing some white bread and then drying the crumbs in the oven with a little salt and pepper)
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 4 spring onions
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• salt + pepper
• small bunch of parsley
• zest of a lemon.

Method

To make the chilli and tomato jam:

1. De seed and finely chop the chillis (or you can leave them in for some extra heat)
2. chop the tomatoes up into little chunks (you can remove the seeds if you like)
3. Crush the garlic.
4. Heat a small saucepan, add off of the sauce ingredients, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer until it has reduced to a nice sticky consistency.
5. transfer to a pot or jar and leave to cool.

To make the fish cakes

1. Peel the potatoes, boil them until soft, drain, mash well with a big knob of butter, leave to cool.
2. Poach the fish in some water until it flakes off the skin with ease, remove all the skin and bones, set aside.
3. Remove a few prawns and set aside (these will be used for garnish and cooked at the last minute)
4. Roughly chop the rest of the prawns and fry in a little oil until cooked, allow to cool.
5. Chop the spring onions, then add them along with the lemon zest, chilli powder and parsley to the mash, mix well then season with salt and pepper, add the prawns and fish and gently mix in.
6. Shape the mixture into little patties, wrap in clingfilm then leave until ready to cook.
7. When ready to cook, dip each fishcake into the beaten egg followed by the breadcrumbs, heat some oil in a frying pan, then fry the fish cakes for a few minutes on each side, until golden on the outside and hot in the middle. (you can then put them in the oven to keep warm if you wish)
8. Quickly fry the remaining prawns and place on some kitchen paper
9. Serve the fishcakes on some salad with a dollop of chilli jam on top and garnish with the cooked whole prawns.

Enjoy…and let me know what you think!

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