Fish cakes

Ingredients

Batter

• 300 gplain flour
• 7 ginstant yeast
• 200 mlwarm water
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tspground black pepper

Fish

• 400 gcooked white fish, flaked, or drained tinned sardines
• 1onion, grated and squeezed dry
• 2 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 1scotch bonnet, minced

Sauce

• 2onions, sliced
• 2tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsptomato paste
• 1whole scotch bonnet
• 1stock cube
• 2 tbspoil
• 200 mlwater
• juice of ½ lemon

To fry

• oil

Directions

1. Whisk the flour, yeast, salt and pepper with the warm water into a thick, smooth batter.
2. Cover it and leave it somewhere warm for 45 minutes, until visibly bubbly and risen.
3. Let it rise properly. The yeast is what makes these light and hollow inside rather than dense little pucks.
4. Squeeze the grated onion dry, then fold it with the garlic, minced chilli and flaked fish into the risen batter.
5. Squeeze the onion. Its water thins the batter and the cakes will spread and go greasy in the pan.
6. Fold everything through gently to keep the air in.
7. Heat about 3 cm of oil in a wide pan to roughly 170°C (340°F).
8. Drop in rough spoonfuls and fry for 3 to 4 minutes a side, until deep golden and puffed.
9. Drain them on a rack rather than paper so the undersides stay crisp.
10. For the sauce, fry the onions until soft, add the tomato paste and fry it for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes, stock cube, water and the whole chilli and simmer for 15 minutes.
11. Finish the sauce with lemon juice and lift out the chilli.
12. Serve the fish cakes hot with the peppery onion sauce spooned over, which is how they are sold from wide pans at street stalls and school gates.

Technique

• The batter is a yeasted one rather than a bound mash, which is what distinguishes these from European fishcakes entirely.
• Tinned sardines are used as often as fresh fish and give a stronger, oilier cake.
• They are best within minutes of frying and the sauce is what keeps them from drying out.

Substitutions

• Tinned mackerel or tuna in place of white fish.
• Self-raising flour with no yeast for a quicker batter, which is denser.

Variations

• Made larger, as a main dish with rice.
• With chopped parsley and spring onion through the batter.
• Served in a baguette with the sauce, as a sandwich.

History

A staple of Gambian street stalls and school gates, sold hot from wide pans with sauce spooned over.

Frequently asked questions

What is Fish cakes?

Fish cakes is a street food from Gambia: fried dough rounds bound with fish, served with peppery onion sauce. A staple of Gambian street stalls and school gates, sold hot from wide pans with sauce spooned over.

How long does Fish cakes take to make?

Fish cakes takes 20 min plus 45 min rising of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 20 cakes. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Fish cakes?

Yes, within limits. Tinned mackerel or tuna in place of white fish. Self-raising flour with no yeast for a quicker batter, which is denser.

What is the most important thing to get right in Fish cakes?

Let it rise properly. The yeast is what makes these light and hollow inside rather than dense little pucks.