“This is a really nice dish that we want to put it on the spring menu at Honey & Co. We’d used to get it from this lady on the beach in Jaffa who makes amazing food and charges you according to what you look like. We’re great champions of dishes like this: one-pot wonders that don’t require so much washing up afterwards.”
– Itamar Srulovich & Sarit Packer, owners of Honey & Co, London
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
800g hake fillets, skin removed, finely chopped
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1 bunch coriander, chopped
1 green chilli, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
1 egg
½ cup breadcrumbs
½ tsp ground fennel seed
1 tsp salt
A pinch of black pepper
Vegetable oil
3 cloves of garlic
2 bunches of spinach, washed
1 large tomato, sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
Turkish salad:
2 ripe tomatoes
1 small red onion
1 chilli
Sea salt
Olive oil
Pomegranate molasses
METHOD
In a large bowl mix all the ingredients for the patties and rest for 10 minutes. If the mix feels too wet to shape afterwards, add more breadcrumbs, but don’t overdo it or you will lose all the flavour. Shape into 8 patties.
You want a wide pan or casserole dish, ideally one with a lid. Place it on a high heat and add enough oil to cover the bottom of it – be generous. When the oil is hot, fry the patties till they are nice and golden, around 3 min on each side. Place them on a paper-lined tray to absorb some oil. Set the pan aside for a few minutes to cool (but don’t wash it).
Return the pan to a medium heat, add the garlic and fry for a few minutes. Add the spinach and toss it around a bit. Return the fish cakes to the pan and place the tomato slices on top. Squeeze the lemon on top and add a splash of water, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Cook for 5-8 minutes, till the fish cakes are cooked and the spinach is soft. Serve with yogurt, and with Turkish salad if you want.
For the Turkish salad, finely chop your onion and chilli, then coarsely chop the tomatoes (you need to be quite rough with them: the idea is to get uneven chunks and quite a lot of juice going). Place it all in a bowl and season with a bit of oil, some pomegranate molasses and salt to taste.
