About Those Fish Cakes….

Dinner time is always an experience for me. I am never sure what to make but when I have an idea I run with it. Today was no different than any other non-planned meal day lol. I peeked into my fridge only to find there was leftover pieces of Flounder I didn’t use. I knew if I didn’t cook it now I would probably have to toss it. So I thought to myself, what the hell can I do with this fish?

Since being in the UAE I have come across tons of a fish I had never eaten before. They have all these new fish I haven’t tasted like hamour and white fish. As I continued to think I said maybe I should make a fish cake. While the idea of a flounder fish cakes were amazing to my husband, once I got started it was a nightmare for me.

When I removed the Flounder from the frozen bag I realized the excessive amount of water it retained. I was hoping by the time I fried it and started to assemble my fish cake that it would dry out. Wrong! I seasoned the fish with the ususal suspects salt and pepper. I also did a flour seasoned mixture to coat my fish to prepare to fry. As I laid my fish in the heated oil the unthinkable happened, it started to stick to the bottom!

I am running in my kitchen like it is Chopped trying to figure out my next move. I then continue to cook shards of fish flounder until done. I scooped out the stray pieces of fish and placed them on a paper towel. At this point I poured the oil off the skillet and saw all of the fish fond on the bottom of the pan.

I did what any cook would do I deglazed it with wine. Scrapping all the flavor from the bottom trying to boost my flavor profile. Once I got the skillet free from fish bits I added it to my bowl of red onions, parsely, cilantro, and dill. I mixed the ingredients well and added the broken pieces of fish.

I made a flour and baking powder based batter and molded them into patties. I also added 2 eggs to bind them together. I left them sit for awhile to firm because they were a bit fragile. As they rested I knew I needed a sauce for the fish. I had lemon, garlic, and mayo. I made an Aioli.

Then I let it sit in the fridge to develop the flavor until I finished browning my cakes. I placed the skillet on the stove with a knob of butter in it and started to brown my cakes.

The butter gives these cakes a lot of flavor and a beautiful brown color. It takes about 2 minutes each side to achieve the golden brown crust. I then browned all my cakes and plated them with the Aioli. I also placed some lemon and parsely for garnish.

The cakes were good but I don’t think I will ever use flounder to make them again due to its high moisture level. I don’t even think if the flounder was fresh it would have made a difference. The Aioli was yummy it takes any meal up a notch. It pairs perfectly with seafood and chicken. I even dipped a piece a steak in it from Chipotle night and it was YUMMY!

My advice if you ever try this don’t use flounder or it will make you work hard for greatness! Happy Cooking Everyone!