Simple Salmon Fishcakes (gluten-free)
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These Gluten-Free Simple Salmon Fishcakes were one of my Nan’s most celebrated recipes and a family favourite. Made with tinned red salmon and leftover mashed potatoes, these fishcakes are home comfort cooking at its best.
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A batch of my Nan's Simple Salmon Fishcakes was such a welcome treat on Saturday lunchtime when we got home from school (oh yes, we had school on Saturdays). These were absolutely my favourite, the aroma and sound of them sizzling in the frying pan when we opened the front door is a treasured memory.
Now, my Nan wasn’t a great cook, she was very much a child of rations, plain food and making do, but our family has always considered these Simple Salmon Fishcakes her culinary masterpiece.
Like all of Nan's food these fishcakes are simple, homely and made with easy ingredients. She didn't bother with fresh salmon, these are made with tinned red salmon and all the better for it. Filled with flavour, you don't have to worry about pre-cooking the salmon and if you keep a tin in your larder then you can whip up these gluten-free fishcakes whenever you have an urge. For me, that's pretty much on the regular.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Made with easy store cupboard ingredients.
- Quick to make, especially if you are using leftover mashed potatoes.
- Straightforward to make ahead.
- Your whole family will love them.
Tinned salmon
These are probably the most simple salmon fishcakes you will come across and they have a very special and secret ingredient, tinned salmon. When I first found out that was how she made them I was taken aback. It just seemed so wrong. But really the taste is unique, and despite how much I love a good fresh salmon fishcake, Nan’s are imbued with a more intensely sweet flavour which is entirely different. And to be honest, there isn’t a whole lot of salmon in these anyway. These fishcakes are more like mashed potato cakes kissed with a sweet blush of salmon. However that salmon flavour perfumes the whole cake.
Updating a classic fishcake recipe
When I asked Nan once how she made them she just said mashed potato and tinned salmon. That was her recipe and really all you needed to know in her eyes. Now, I’ve taken a liberty or two with my Nan’s recipe as I have added a few snipped parsley leaves, just because I couldn’t resist. I also included a generous amount of ground white pepper for a bit more of a kick and salt, which I know Nan definitely wouldn’t have used. She didn’t really buy into seasoning.
Gluten-free salmon fishcakes
The most obvious difference between my fishcakes and Nan's though is that I make them gluten-free. And Nan would totally approve as there is no discernible taste difference from the original version.
You can use any all-purpose gluten-free flour in this recipe. Doves Plain White Gluten-Free Flour works well here. Or you can just use a 50/50 mix of tapioca starch and buckwheat flour if you prefer a rice-free blend.
For the breadcrumbs just whizz up a few slices of good gluten-free bread in the food processor.
Full list of ingredients
- Potatoes. King Edward or Maris Piper work well.
- Salted butter. At room temperature.
- Wild skinless and boneless red salmon.
- Fresh Parsley.
- Egg. This recipe uses a medium egg.
- Gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- Gluten-free flour. This recipe uses Doves Plain White Gluten-Free Flour.
- Salt.
- Pepper.
- Olive oil. Mild, light and flavourless.
How to make them
- Boil then mash potatoes and allow them to chill until completely cold.
- Drain the salmon and mix with the cold potato along with the parsley leaves.
- Shape into salmon patties then rest for 30 minutes.
- Dip each salmon patty into the flour, then beaten egg and finally back into the flour.
- Cook in a frying pan, pre-heated with olive oil, for 5 minutes each side.
- Fry in batches.
Make ahead
The salmon patties can be made up to 2 days ahead, before coating with the egg and flour. Store in the fridge, layered in an airtight container with baking parchment between the layers.
How to freeze
Allow the cooked salmon fishcakes to cool completely before layering in an airtight container, with baking parchment between the layers. Freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight the fridge before re-heating in the frying pan.
Serving suggestions
Our favourite way to serve Nan’s fishcakes is and always will be non-negotiable, with brown sauce. It is in fact the only time I will ever eat brown sauce as if I’m pressed I’m not sure I really like it. However, here, when the crunchy crumbed shell of the fishcake which encases the sweetly soft interior is paired with the deep tang of the brown sauce the result is sublime.
Do note though that a lot of brown sauces are not gluten-free due to the malt vinegar and sometimes rye flour which is used. I urge you to make your own - the flavour is incomparable.
Although I also highly recommend serving the fishcakes with..
Other gluten-free fish recipes you'll love
I urge you to give these Simple Salmon Fishcakes a try. If you do then please leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating which helps others find the recipe on Google. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own culinary creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.
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Simple Salmon Fishcakes (gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 800 g floury potatoes
- 75 g salted butter - at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 170 g wild skinless and boneless red salmon - 1 tin
- 2 tablespoons parsley leaves - finely chopped
- 1 egg - medium, lightly beaten
- 100 g gluten-free breadcrumbs*
- 75 g gluten-free flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Peel and quarter the potatoes then place in a large pan of salted boiling water.
- Bring the potatoes back to the boil then simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
- Drain the potatoes, then add them back into the pan with the butter. Add the white pepper then mash until the potato is incredibly smooth.*
- Tip the mashed potato into a bowl and leave to cool for an hour then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours until the potato is cold.
- Drain the salmon and mix into the cold potato and the parsley leaves with a fork until evenly dispersed.
- Shape the fishcakes into patties of equal weight, about 125g, then place on a plate and put back in the fridge to settle for half an hour.
- Arrange the flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs into three separate bowls, then remove the fishcakes from the fridge and coat each fishcake; first with a light dusting of flour, then with the egg, then the breadcrumbs.
- Pour the olive oil into a wide heavy based saucepan and heat until sizzling. Then turn the heat down to low.
- Shallow fry the fishcakes in two batches, 5 minutes on each side, spooning some of the oil up the sides of the fishcakes to ensure they are golden all over, then place on kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil.
- Serve hot from the pan.
Notes
- Try using Homemade Gluten-Free Breadcrumbs in this recipe, especially if they are pre-seasoned to level up the flavour.
- If you use leftover mashed potato then these fishcakes come together in a snap. If you’re making the mashed potato especially for the fishcakes then you must wait for them to cool completely in the fridge as warm potato will fall apart when you’re shaping the fishcakes.
- I recommend using a potato ricer for mashing the potatoes which ensures lump free and smooth mash without any gummy texture. Place the salted butter into the saucepan and pass the potato through the potato ricer into the pan of butter, then give a jolly good stir into the butter once all the potato has been riced.
- This recipe was tested using Doves Gluten-Free Plain White Flour. However, you can use 50% tapioca starch / 50% buckwheat flour if you need to avoid rice flour.
