Fish Cake – Guyanese Style

In Guyana, fish is readily available in most case and widely consumed, in the form of fish curry, ‘fry’ fish and Fish Cakes among others. Fish Cake is a simple Guyanese dish made of fish and seasoning. Traditionally, Fish Cakes are made with yam or potatoes but some persons chose not to add these tubers and instead use only seasoned fish in their recipe. Similar dishes with a slight variation to Fish Cakes are the French croquettes and Accra in Trinidad and Tobago. Fish Cake is said to have originated in the 1900s in England while Japan is said to have a version of Fish Cakes over four thousand (4000) years old. Nevertheless, Fish Cakes are eaten all around the world, in Korea, Japan, Portugal, and in the Caribbean.

Fish Cake – Photo by Natalie Chunilall

What is Fish Cake?

Fish Cake is a savoury dish made of fish, starchy food like potato or yam and flavoured with many herbs. You can use various types of fish like salmon, cod, trout, snapper, catfish and gilbaka. Guyanese Fish Cakes are typically oval or cylindrical in shape but can be flattened into a patty-like shape. They can be eaten alone or served with sour or chutneys.

Fish Cake with Yam – Guyanese Style

Ingredients

• 8 oz cooked fish
• 4-8 oz cooked yams, mashed
• 1 tbsp chopped celery
• 1 tbsp chopped eschalot
• 1/2 oz butter or margarine
• 2 eggs, beaten, for binding and coating
• 1 1/2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs
• lemon juice
• Paprika
• Black Pepper
• Chili Powder
• Oil for frying

Optional: fried parsley to garnish

Method

1. Remove skin and bone from fish and break into pieces.
2. Add the yam, eschalot, celery, lemon juice, nutmeg and salt and pepper.
3. Add butter to mixture together with sufficient egg to bind it together.
4. Turn on to a floured board. Shape into a neat roll and cut into equal portions.
5. Reshape the slices into oval cakes.
6. Coat the cakes with beaten egg and dried crumbs.
7. Fry in deep or shallow fat, drain well.
8. Serve garnished with fried parsley and lemon.

Salt Fish Cake – Guyanese Style

Ingredients

• 1 lb salted fish (with bones removed)
• 2 large potatoes (mashed)
• 2 tbsp butter
• peppers
• 2 stalk eschallot
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• Salt
• 1 egg
• Oil

Coating: 1 cup flour + 1/4tsp black pepper + 1/4tsp salt for coating

Optional: grated onion, grated ginger, cilantro

Method

1. Boil saltfish 10 min to remove excess salt, then drain and boil again.
2. Drain once more and flake saltfish with fork until even.
3. Peel and cut potatoes.
4. Put to boil until cooked.
5. Drain and evenly mash potatoes.
6. Add butter, mix well. Add pepper, scallion, garlic thyme, paprika and salt.
7. Then mix saltfish and potato, mix well.
8. Add egg, mix again.
9. Heat oil for frying.
10. Roll saltfish into small oval shapes.
11. Place flour in a deep dish with black pepper and salt.
12. Roll saltfish cake in flour and fry until brown.
13. Enjoy with pepper sauce or mango sour.

Fish Cake – Photo by Insatiablemunch – https://www.flickr.com/photos/insatiablemunchies/16609137995

Fish Cake with Potato – Guyanese Style

Ingredients

• 2 cups of mashed potatoes
• cooked salmon
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• oil for frying

Coating:

• 1 egg
• breadcrumbs with a dash of salt and pepper

Method

1. Add mashed potatoes, parsley, egg, salt and pepper to a bowl and mix thoroughly.
2. Flake fish into pieces and add to the mixture.
3. Mix together and form neat little circles or ovals.
4. Whisk egg and use a brush to evenly apply the mixture to the fish cakes.
5. Roll in breadcrumbs.
6. Fry until golden brown.
7. Allow to cool and enjoy!

About Fish Cake

Whether you make Fish Cake with cod, salmon, or prefer your starch to be yam or potato, you cannot deny Fish Cakes are a mouthwatering delight! Pair with mango sour, char, pepper sauce or chutney, and you got yourself a new Guyanese favourite food. Fish Cakes can be served as appetizers, eaten for breakfast, lunch or even dinner and can be made with leftover ingredients like fish and potatoes. The next time you have extra potatoes, whip up a batch of this yummy, fried finger-food and you can be sure to it will not cease to amaze.

Article Reference

• http://www.guyanadining.com/fish-cake-recipe/
• http://www.guyanesefood.com/fish-cakes-recipe.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishcake
• https://www.christinascucina.com/easy-step-by-step-potato-and-salmon-fish-cakes/

Last Updated: 2020-07-01