Recipes
Fish Cakes with Mustard Aioli
Serves 6
| Prep Time: 15 mins
| Cook Time: 25 mins
| Total Time: 40 mins
You may need: Nordic Blend
Discover The Recipe
Seafood is an integral part of the Scandinavian diet, owing to the endless coastlines of the region. The fisheries of Northern Europe, especially the North Sea surrounding Norway, are some of the best in the world. In fact, Norway is the second largest seafood exporter in the world! This easy recipe for Scandinavian-style fish cakes with mustard aioli delivers a big flavor payoff for relatively little work and is easy to customize with whatever fresh seafood you find.
This recipe features our proprietary Nordic spice blend, which we created to showcase a lovely combination of typical dried herbs and spices used in Scandinavian cuisine. Despite the wide variety of herbs, dill is unquestionably the king in the region. Used to top soups, cured meats, and pickled items, dill imparts a delicate and distinct sweet-sour flavor. Our Nordic blend expertly juxtaposes dill with a hint of caraway seed (known best for use in rye bread), another hugely important flavor in Scandinavia. We think you'll love this unique blend and find many uses for it. Serve dished over a bed of lightly dressed mixed greens with lemon wedges.
Ingredients
1.5 lbs white fish, boneless, skinless (cod, sole, etc)
2 Yukon gold potatoes
1.5 tbsp Piquant Post Nordic Blend
1.5 tsp salt (optional)
1/4 cup Italian (flat leaf) parsley, chopped
1 lemon, zest and juice (set aside, separately)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 cup high heat cooking oil (grapeseed oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, or ghee)
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1-2 tsp stone ground mustard (to taste)
1/4 tsp lemon juice
Notes
Pro tip: make smaller patties to speed the cooking time. For larger patties, you might have to increase the cooking time while adjusting down the heat slightly (you don't want to burn the outside layer).
Use a food processor if you have one to speed prep of the fish. Pulse only a few times to chop rather than pureeing into a paste.
If you only have a blender, you might be better off chopping the fish with a large chef knife into a flaky "crab meat-like" consistency. Blenders are each different and might be harder to achieve the desired texture.
If you don't have a citrus zesting tool, use a fine cheese grater to lightly (and quickly) zest the lemon rind.
Lastly, optional ingredients add a little character and flavor but don’t sweat it if you don’t have them.
Instructions
Heat a pot of water on high. Quarter the potatoes and add to pot to boil until soft (~10 mins). Once potatoes are soft, strain and add to food processor. Then, puree until smooth. Set aside in a medium mixing bowl.
Next, pulse raw fish in the food processor until it looks like shredded crab meat. (DO NOT over process into a paste) Add fish to potatoes in the mixing bowl.
Add chopped parsley, Nordic Blend, salt, and lemon zest + juice to the fish/potato mixture in bowl. With a rubber spatula mix until well combined. Spoon the mixture into your hands to form patties ~1.5 inches wide & 1/2 inch thick. (smaller patties cook faster)
Heat a large cast-iron or non-stick pan on Med heat and add the oil. When oil shimmers, shallow fry the patties for ~3 mins per side or until golden brown. Work in batches to make sure patties are cooked in one layer.
Alternatives & Substitutions
If you can't get fresh cod, it's no problem using frozen cod fillets. Simply thaw and use as the recipe instructs. We've tried them and this dish turns out great. We also think other flaky white fish varieties are perfect: haddock, halibut, tilapia, or sea bass. Salmon will also work.
Try adding in a handful of coarsely chopped shrimp or calamari into the fish cake mixture for a seafood medley cake!
Make your own gravlax (Scandinavian cured salmon) at home! Sprinkle our 1 tbsp of our Nordic Blend spice over the top. Make sure you can get sashimi grade salmon from you fishmonger (crucial).
Make the best holiday party tray ever: try our Smoked Trout Rillettes recipe. Your guests will be talking about this dish and asking for the recipe.
Looking for a vegan/vegetarian (and soy-free) option? Simply substitute in 1.5 cans (~21 oz) of rinsed white (cannelini or navy) beans for the fish in the recipe. To get a bit more taste of the sea, add in a few dashes of nori (seaweed) flakes or a half scoop of kelp powder. Finally, substitute vegan mayo for regular mayo (or make your own cashew mayo). Bam! Vegan "fish cakes" in your repertoire.
Try our delicious and satisfying (and vegan!) Nordic Potato Salad instead.
Be sure to leave comments and feedback on your meals and experiments in the comments for others to read.
Post pictures of your masterpiece meal on social media and tag us. We repost!
Fish Cakes with Mustard Aioli
Serves
6
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Piquant Post spice you'll need: Nordic Blend
Ingredients
1.5 lbs white fish, boneless, skinless (cod, sole, etc)
2 Yukon gold potatoes
1.5 tbsp Piquant Post Nordic Blend
1.5 tsp salt (optional)
1/4 cup Italian (flat leaf) parsley, chopped
1 lemon, zest and juice (set aside, separately)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 cup high heat cooking oil (grapeseed oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, or ghee)
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1-2 tsp stone ground mustard (to taste)
1/4 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
Heat a pot of water on high. Quarter the potatoes and add to pot to boil until soft (~10 mins). Once potatoes are soft, strain and add to food processor. Then, puree until smooth. Set aside in a medium mixing bowl.
Next, pulse raw fish in the food processor until it looks like shredded crab meat. (DO NOT over process into a paste) Add fish to potatoes in the mixing bowl.
Add chopped parsley, Nordic Blend, salt, and lemon zest + juice to the fish/potato mixture in bowl. With a rubber spatula mix until well combined. Spoon the mixture into your hands to form patties ~1.5 inches wide & 1/2 inch thick. (smaller patties cook faster)
Heat a large cast-iron or non-stick pan on Med heat and add the oil. When oil shimmers, shallow fry the patties for ~3 mins per side or until golden brown. Work in batches to make sure patties are cooked in one layer.
Notes
Pro tip: make smaller patties to speed the cooking time. For larger patties, you might have to increase the cooking time while adjusting down the heat slightly (you don't want to burn the outside layer).
Use a food processor if you have one to speed prep of the fish. Pulse only a few times to chop rather than pureeing into a paste.
If you only have a blender, you might be better off chopping the fish with a large chef knife into a flaky "crab meat-like" consistency. Blenders are each different and might be harder to achieve the desired texture.
If you don't have a citrus zesting tool, use a fine cheese grater to lightly (and quickly) zest the lemon rind.
Lastly, optional ingredients add a little character and flavor but don’t sweat it if you don’t have them.
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