Fishcakes for Peaches

TASTE:Food allergies aren't the same as food intolerances, but in either case it's worth making sure you know just what's in your food

SOME OF US have one and most of us know of someone who has one. Serious sufferers could die from one and all are caused by an immune-system malfunction. I’m talking about food allergies, which usually involve peanuts, shellfish, eggs, wheat and dairy. But it’s important to remember that food allergies and food intolerances are not the same thing. When you’re allergic to something, your immune system identifies a perceived threat (which is usually certain types of proteins), and these in turn trigger the production of antibodies to neutralise the allergen. The next time you come into contact with them, the antibodies recognise what they perceive to be danger, and release chemicals, such as histamine, to deal with the attack. The affect of histamine (and other chemicals that your body releases) can range from runny noses and itchy eyes, to rashes, hives, difficulty breathing and, in some serious cases, anaphylactic shock. It’s strange to think that your body self-harms in an effort to protect itself: a serious malfunction indeed. A food intolerance, however, causes a direct irritation to your body, and does not cause your body’s own immune system to attack itself.

My sister is allergic to shellfish, so eating dumplings and parcels of all things savoury in Asian restaurants can often feel like Russian-roulette. As a result, she stays away from anything that looks pulped into anonymity. It’s not only in Asian restaurants where shellfish can be hidden, but also in items such as fish cakes, which can end up containing a little bit of crab or even prawns.

Ordering anything fishy can mean Spanish-style inquisitions of the waiters, which is unpleasant to sit through. But having witnessed one attack where she ate an oyster (naively and dimly thinking that because it was cooked, she’d be fine), all I can say is that for five or 10 minutes she resembled some dreadful actress in a shoddy horror flick: spinning head, rolling eyes and a final slump on to the floor while we looked at her in shock (and awe) before the seriousness of the situation slowly dawned.

An ambulance was called, the restaurant was mortified (having an ambulance pull up outside your establishment and cart one of the customers away is not great PR) and, in the end, we were all relieved that after a few hours in hospital, all calmed down sufficiently that she could be the recipient of a lecture from all of us for ruining our dinner (just kidding).

Anyway, fear not: below are some very plain and tasty fishcakes based on an Adam Byatt recipe. Some of them we fried after dipping in egg, flour and then breadcrumbs, and then finished off in the oven. Some of them we baked (with no coating) in a really hot oven, on a baking sheet that was non-stick and had a shimmy of oil on it. This “browned” them on one side and then we carefully turned them over to finish the other side. Obviously the breadcrumb-coated and fried ones tasted better, but if you’re being good (or lazy), then do try out the other method.

Salmon and smoked haddock fishcakes

I know some people hate smoked fish, so feel free to make them all salmon if you prefer. Makes 12 fishcakes, which would probably serve four to six.

400ml milk

250g smoked haddock

500g salmon fillet, skinless

3 potatoes (roughly 300g), floury ones are best

1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped

Big bunch of dill (25g)

1 egg

Salt and pepper

Coating

1 egg, beaten

50g plain flour

60g breadcrumbs

Sunflower oil

Heat the milk slightly and when it is warm, carefully add the smoked haddock, then bring up to a simmer. Add the salmon, bring back up to a simmer and then remove from the heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, peel the spuds, then chop into bit-sized chunks and boil in salted water until they are tender. Drain, and then put back in the dry saucepan on a very low heat for a minute or so, with a tea towel on top, to help dry them out. Be careful the tea towel does not catch fire. Mash the spuds up with a fork.

Drain the fish and remove any skin or bones and then transfer it to a bowl and start to break it up and mash with a fork. Add the spring onions, dill and dried-out spuds. Mix well, taste and season. Bind with the egg then shape into approximately 12 patties and leave to cool down. At this stage you could refrigerate them overnight (once they’ve cooled down to room temperature), covered with cling film, or keep going with the recipe.

Preheat an oven to 200 degrees/gas mark six. Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan. Get a baking tray ready to go in the oven. Have three plates or shallow bowls ready: one for the beaten egg, one for the flour and one for the breadcrumbs. Dip the fishcakes in egg, flour then breadcrumbs, and when the oil is hot, fry them in batches. Make sure they get a good golden brown crust on one side before you turn them over. Do this carefully, but with purpose, so they don’t fall apart. When you have good colour on both sides, transfer all of them at the same time to the baking tray and finish cooking in the oven for about 10 minutes.

If you don’t want to coat them in breadcrumbs or flour, then heat up a baking tray in the oven with a little pool of oil on it. Place the fishcakes on to this hot baking tray and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes and then gently turn them over so that both sides get a chance to brown. Serve with the herb and garlic mayo, below.

Garlic and herb mayonnaise

2 egg yolks

1 big tablespoon Dijon mustard

200ml olive oil

200ml sunflower oil

Juice of 1 lemon

Splash of tarragon vinegar

3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

Handful chopped dill

1 tsp pink peppercorns, crushed

Salt and pepper

Make sure the egg yolks are at room temperature. With a whisk, mix the egg yolks and Dijon mustard. Very slowly add a dribble of oil, intermittently, until you feel it thickening. Once this starts, then you can be a bit more relaxed at the pace of adding the oils. Add about 75 per cent of the oils, then mix in the seasonings: lemon juice, splash of vinegar, the garlic, dill, peppercorns and salt. Mix well and then continue to add the oil until you have the right consistency. Chill until ready to serve.

If you cannot be bothered to make this from scratch, simply mix the mustard, dill, lemon juice and pink peppercorns into about 500ml of shop-bought mayonnaise.

See also itsa.ie