Mar 12, 2014, Updated Oct 04, 2023 This recipe works with salt cod, fresh fish, fresh salmon, any white fish, even cans of tuna or salmon – the possibilities are endless. Look no further on how to make easy potato fish cakes with tartar sauce from scratch. In the maritime provinces, fish cakes are traditionally made with salt cod, which was a dietary staple of our grandparents’ generation and earlier. Salting fish at sea was common practice before refrigeration and flash freezing were options. I do like salt cod but it’s not easy to find everywhere, and I prefer fresh fish. You can sub in fresh salmon if you like or any white fish you commonly find in your location. You can even swap in two cans of tuna or salmon – in fact most of the fish cakes I ate as a child were from tinned fish. Made that way, they are an inexpensive last-minute meal made from pantry staples. A crisp, golden exterior belies a soft, mashed-potato centre with buttery chunks of cod and bright shards of green onion. Here’s my favourite recipe for Mashed Potatoes. I typically serve fish cakes on a bed of lemon- and olive oil-dressed greens, with lots of this quick, tangy tartar sauce. Or, you know, with nothing but ketchup. Fish cakes are my favourite way to make use of leftover mashed potatoes post holiday meal. If your potatoes have cream or milk added, you might just need to add a handful of breadcrumbs to the mixture until it is easy to handle and shape. If any fish cakes are left, tuck them into pita bread for lunchboxes the next day with lettuce and mayo.
