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Hake Fish Cakes – a Delicious and Simple Appetizer
Instructions
First fillet the hake. Cut the fish fillet from the spine, remove the fins and skin. Quality starting material is essential for quality finished results.
Prepare a mixture of milk and egg. Add semolina, mix. Leave the semolina to swell in the milk mixture for fifteen minutes. The swollen semolina is the secret to fluffy texture in finished cakes.
Cut the onion, butter, and fish into slices. Grind the components into minced meat using a meat grinder or blender. Add the minced meat to the swollen semolina, mix and bring to harmonious taste. Send the prepared minced meat to the refrigerator for half an hour. The chill firms up the mixture for easier shaping.
With wet hands form small plump cutlets from the minced meat. Roll each one in flour. At this stage the cutlets can be fried or frozen for later use as semi-finished products.
Fry the cakes in vegetable oil until golden brown. The Maillard browning develops the deep savory flavor that defines great fish cakes.
Serve the aromatic, juicy, and tender cutlets to the table with your favorite sauce. Bon appétit!It is quite difficult to prepare juicy fish cakes from hake, as hake fish is very dietary and therefore dry. The secret to juicy fish cakes lies in additional ingredients: onion, milk, and butter. Such cutlets can be fried in flour breading, in crunchy bread crumbs, or without additional coating. With breading, the cutlets will be juicier as it retains moisture in the cutlet. Semolina gives fluffiness; it can be replaced with ground oatmeal.
Tips
- 1
Use butter rather than just oil for richer fish cakes. The butter incorporated into the mince provides richness and moisture that pure-fish cakes lack. Hake especially needs the fat assist since the meat is so lean. Quality unsalted butter produces the best results — reserve salted butter for spreading on bread.
- 2
Let the semolina swell fully in milk before adding to the mince. The 15-minute soak is non-negotiable — un-swollen semolina produces gritty cutlets with hard grain texture. The same swelling-time principle applies to many semolina-based preparations including juicy beef patties in a skillet where semolina also acts as a binding-and-tenderizing agent.
- 3
Chill the mixture before shaping for cleaner cutlet formation. Cold mince holds shape better than warm; the half-hour fridge chill firms up the butter and binds the components into shapeable mass. Skip this step at your peril — warm mixture produces messy uneven cutlets.
- 4
Serve hot with sour cream, tartar sauce, or fresh herb sauce. The mild fish flavor benefits from sauce-based companions. Pair with crusty homemade bread, mashed potatoes, or rice for a complete satisfying meal that delivers protein and flavor without breaking the budget.
FAQ
What other fish work besides hake? +
Pollock, cod, haddock, tilapia, or any white-fleshed fish work beautifully with this preparation. Each variety brings slightly different character: cod is meatier, tilapia is sweeter, pollock is closest to hake. The basic technique — mince fish with onion-butter-egg-milk-semolina mixture, chill thoroughly, shape carefully, fry until golden — adapts to virtually any white fish variety available locally.
How long do these fish cakes keep? +
Stored covered in the refrigerator, cooked fish cakes keep for 2-3 days. Reheat gently in a pan with a splash of water or in a 175°C oven; microwave reheating produces rubbery results. The uncooked cakes freeze well for up to 2 months — freeze on a baking sheet then transfer to bags. Cook frozen cakes directly without thawing for best texture results.
Can I bake instead of frying? +
Yes — bake on parchment-lined tray at 200°C for 18-20 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking. The baked version is leaner but slightly drier than fried; brush generously with melted butter or oil before baking to maintain moisture. The choice between methods depends on dietary preference and equipment availability for individual home cooks.
Why are my fish cakes dry? +
Three usual causes: lean fish without adequate fat additions, overcooking, or insufficient binding. Add the full butter quantity and do not skimp; cook only until golden brown (about 4 minutes per side); use the proper egg-and-semolina binding. Properly executed fish cakes from lean white fish are surprisingly juicy when these factors align correctly.
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