Fiskekaker

Traditional Norwegian fish cakes.

Total time: 45min
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1.2kg cod* (see notes below)
• 3 teaspoons salt* (see notes below)
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2/3 cup milk* (see notes below)
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup minced chives
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• vegetable oil as needed
• bread crumbs as needed* (see notes below)

Directions

1. Slice the fish into small chunks and pound with a meat tenderizer until fish is soft and flaky.* (see notes below)
2. Combine salt, pepper, 2/3 cup milk, butter, eggs, chives, and nutmeg in a large boil.
3. Add fish to the mixture and knead together until the desired consistency is reached. (The mixture should be thick enough to allow firm patties to be formed. If the mixture is too watery, breadcrumbs can be added while stirring until the mixture thickens. If the mixture is too thick initially, another 1/3 cup of milk can be added).
4. Make patties approximately 2-3 inches in diameter and approximately 1 inch thick.
5. In a large pan, heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil on medium-high heat. Sauté fish patties until golden brown (3-5 minutes each side).
6. Serve as patties with a side dish (see smoked salmon rolls on this blog) or in a bun as fish burgers.

Notes

• Depending on availability, haddock or pollock can be substituted for cod.
• Some of our family members found this recipe quite salty, so less salt (1-2 teaspoons) may be preferable.
• The original recipe suggests using a much larger quantity of milk. However, we found that this made it very difficult to form patties. We added bread crumbs to thicken the mixture and recommend using 2/3 to 1 cup of milk as needed to reach the desired consistency. Our fish patty mixture is pictured below.
• The original recipe suggests using a food processor to prepare the fish. However, we found that slicing and manually tenderizing the fish gave the patties an appealing chunky texture and emphasized the flavor of the cod.

Family Ratings

• Mama: 4.5/5, delicious recipe although quite salty!
• Papa: 4.5/5
• Nanya: 5/5
• TW: 5/5
• Girlie: 5/5
• McM: 3/5

Original recipe: https://arcticgrub.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/homemade-fiskekaker-our-monday-dinner-suggestion/