Preparation

• 1
  1. First make the tartare sauce. Chop finely the capers and gherkins
• 2
  I used a tablespoon of capers and 3-4 medium sized gherkins, adjust the amounts to your own taste. Wash and chop the herbs, enough for 2- 3 heaped teaspoons each of chives and parsley. Place the mayonnaise in a bowl and mix in the capers and gherkins, then add the herbs. Stir in 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice, just a little at a time until you think the balance is right. Place the sauce in the fridge to chill.
• 3
  2. Chop the potatoes into even sized chunks and place in cold salted water. Bring to the boil and cook for 15-20 minutes, until tender. Drain and steam dry in the pan covered with a clean tea towel for a few minutes
• 4
  you don’t want sloppy mashed potato for this dish. Mash them with just a little butter until smooth and fluffy but still quite dry.
• 5
  3. Meanwhile, make sure the cod fillets are skinless and free from bones. Heat the milk gently in a pan and simmer the fish in it for about 4 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave to stand to finish cooking for a further 10 minutes. When the fish is cooked, lift it out with a slotted spoon and break it gently into big flakes, putting it into a bowl but reserving the milk in the pan. Peel and chop the spring onions and put them in the milk to warm.
• 6
  4. In a large bowl, mix together the potato and cod. Drain and add the spring onion to the mixture. Chop and stir in the prawns, then a tablespoon of the tartare sauce to bind the mixture. Add a tablespoon of plain flour and mix in. Season to taste and, with lightly floured hands, form the mixture into 8 fishcakes of even shape and size.
• 7
  5. Sieve some plain flour into a shallow dish. Beat an egg in another shallow bowl. Break the bread into pieces, whizz into fine breadcrumbs in a food processor and place into a third shallow bowl. Very carefully dust each fishcake with flour, dip into the beaten egg and place in the breadcrumbs, lifting up some of them to cover the top of the fishcake too. To avoid breaking the fishcakes, use a palette knife or fish slice to help you transfer them from bowl to bowl.
• 8
  6. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan, hot enough to crisp but not too hot to burn the fishcakes. Fry each one for 4-5 minutes on each side, turning them carefully, until the outside is crisp and golden and the inside is cooked through.
• 9
  Serve with lemon wedges, a little bowl of the chilled tartare sauce and a fresh green salad or some peppery watercress.
• 10
  For a delicious starter to a meal, simply adjust the size of the fishcakes. For canapés, make tiny ones and serve with a small blob of tartare sauce on top of each one.