For dinner-ready fishcakes, strong standout flavours are essential, says Yotam Ottolenghi.


INGREDIENTS

  • 750g desiree potatoes, peeled, cut into 3cm chunks
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
  • 2 tbs Thai basil, finely chopped, plus 12 leaves, picked
  • 10g dried wakame seaweed (from Asian food shops), roughly broken up
  • 1 tsp ginger, peeled, minced
  • 2-3 long green shallots, finely chopped
  • 1/2 garlic clove, crushed
  • 2 limes – finely grate the zest to get 2 tsp then cut into wedges, to serve
  • 2 1/2 tbs potato flour
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 350g store-bought cooked skinless salmon (3-4 fillets), roughly broken into 4cm pieces
  • 1 tbs unsalted butter

GINGER AND THAI BASIL YOGHURT

  • 8 Thai basil leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 tsp ginger, peeled, minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp lime zest & 1 1/2 tsp lime juice
  • 1/4 garlic clove, crushed
  • 200g plain yoghurt

METHOD

  • 1.
    Preheat the oven to 230°C and place a rack in the top third of the oven.
  • 2.
    Place 500g of the potatoes on a baking tray lined with baking paper and toss together with 1 tbs of oil and 1/2 tsp salt flakes. Bake for 20-25 minutes, tossing halfway through, until golden brown and cooked through. Set aside to cool, then very roughly crush them.
  • 3.
    Meanwhile, place the remaining 250g potatoes in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover with cold, well-salted water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 12 minutes or until soft. Drain and set aside to cool.
  • 4.
    Place olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the 12 picked Thai basil leaves and the wakame and fry for 1 minute, stirring a little until crispy. Strain, reserving the oil and transfer the aromatics to a small plate lined with paper towel.
  • 5.
    Roughly crush the boiled potatoes (some lumps are fine) and add to a large bowl with the roasted potatoes, ginger, long green shallot, garlic, lime zest, potato flour, egg, chopped basil and 1/8 tsp salt flakes (or a little more, depending on how salty your potatoes are). Finely chop half the crispy wakame and add to the bowl. Mix everything together well, then add the salmon and gently mix to combine, trying not to break the salmon pieces too much.
  • 6.
    With lightly oiled hands, form the mixture into 8 fishcakes weighing about 110g each, compressing them as you go so they hold together.
  • 7.
    For the ginger and Thai basil yoghurt, place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine with a good pinch of salt and set aside until ready to serve.
  • 8.
    Place half the butter and 1 tbs of reserved oil in a large frypan over high heat. Lower the heat to medium-high and fry half the fishcakes for 2-3 minutes on each side, until crisp and golden brown on both sides. Fry the remaining fishcakes in the same way with the remaining butter and 1 tbs oil. Divide the fishcakes among 4 plates and spoon some of the yoghurt on each plate. Top yoghurt with crispy wakame and Thai basil and serve with lime wedges alongside.