Prep time:

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Total time:

Serves: 6

2 Medium Sized Waxy Potatoes, cubed

180g Monkfish

2tbsp Groundnut Oil

75g Chopped Shallots

1tbsp Capers

100g Chorizo, chopped into small pieces

100g White Breadcrumbs

Sea Salt

½tsp Ground Black Pepper

1 Large Egg

1 Large Egg Yolk

1tsp Dijon Mustard

½tsp Mustard Powder

Salt

Ground White Pepper

275ml Sunflower Oil

Writer, blogger and homemaker Cherry Menlove will be demonstrating her baking and craft skills at the Chefs’ Theatre at Wealden Times Midsummer Fair’s Sew, Grow, Eat festival in June. Cherry has compiled a selection of her delicious recipes in her first book, The Handmade Home Here, we’ve picked three of our favourites for a gorgeously fresh late-spring meal...

  1. In a medium-sized saucepan, bring 500ml of salted water to the boil. Add the cubed potatoes and cook until soft. Drain and leave to cool.
  2. While the potatoes are boiling, poach the monkfish for 15-18 minutes in enough preboiled water to cover it. Gently fry the shallots in 1 tablespoon of oil for 5 minutes, until they soften. Put the potatoes and shallots in a large bowl. Add the capers, chorizo and breadcrumbs and use your hands to mix the ingredients until fully combined.
  3. Remove the poached fish from the heat and drain off any excess liquid. Cut into small cubes, then add to the potato mixture, along with chopped parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
  4. In a small bowl, beat the egg before adding to the fishcake mix. Use clean hands to mix the ingredients together. Then divide the mixture equally and shape into 6 patties.
  5. In a non-stick frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil until hot and slide in the patties. Cook over a medium heat, allowing 5 minutes per side, or until the outsides are brown but not burnt.
  6. To make the mustard mayonnaise, use a hand-held blender to mix together the egg yolk, mustard and the mustard powder in a large jug. Season with salt and pepper and blend on a high speed until all the ingredients are fully combined. On a slow speed, drizzle the oil into the jug. Mix until the liquid begins to emulsify and thicken. Once the mayonnaise has thickened to the point where it makes soft peaks, add more seasoning if necessary. This will keep for 2 days if stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Serving suggestion: Place the fishcakes on individual plates with a handful of fresh pea shoots and a wedge of lime. Serve the mustard mayonnaise on the side. For an alternative to monkfish, substitute salmon or cod.

  • words:
  • pictures: Keiko Oikawa

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