These deliciously spiced fish cakes cooked in a fragrant herbed tomato broth is a simplified version of a recipe from one of my favourite cookbooks; Ottolenghi’s wonderful Jerusalem. I so love his recipes but sometimes find they take quite a long time to make, and a quicker (just as tasty version) can be on the table in much less time. For this recipe using a food processor instead of chopping everything by hand into very small pieces will be a lot faster.
You can choose any wild-caught white fish as long as it is boneless and skinless. For extra nutrition I’ve added some nourishing, flavoursome bone broth, and have also left out the breadcrumbs.
Serve with cauliflower rice or basmati rice (cooked in chicken bone broth), and a green salad or a side dish of silverbeet sautéed in garlic, olive oil and lemon juice.
Middle Eastern Fish Cakes in Tomato Broth
Ingredients
Fish Cakes:
- 400 grams wild caught white fish , skinless and boneless
- 1 medium onion , roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , crushed
- 1 large handful coriander leaves
- 1 large handful mint leaves
- 1 large organic egg
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Tomato Broth:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion , finely chopped
- 1 & 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 clove garlic , crushed
- 1 cup chicken bone broth
- 400 g tomato passata , or tinned chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 large handful coriander leaves , finely chopped
- 1 large handful mint leaves , finely chopped
Instructions
- First make the fish cakes by roughly chopping the fish into large pieces and then adding it to your food processor along with all of the other ingredients. Pulse until everything is well combined.
- Use your hands to form the mixture into medium-sized patties. You will have approximately 8-10 fish cakes.
- Place the patties on a plate and then put them in the fridge to firm up a little. (The fish cakes can be made ahead of time and left in the fridge for up to 8 hours).
- Then make the tomato broth by heating the olive oil in a large, wide pan. Add the onion, cover the pan and cook the onion gently over a low heat until very soft, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the spices and garlic, and then add the broth, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Simmer the tomato broth uncovered for about 15 minutes until thickened.
- While the tomato sauce is cooking heat some olive oil in a large frypan and gently fry the fish cakes for about 5 minutes each side, until lightly browned. You can do this in batches.
- Stir the coriander and mint into the tomato broth (setting aside a little for sprinkling over the finished dish) and then carefully place the patties in the tomato sauce. Cover the pan and simmer over a low heat for 15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and let sit for 5-10 minutes for the flavours to develop. Sprinkle with the herbs and serve with cauliflower rice or basmati rice and a green salad or sautéed silverbeet.
