Video summary

I'd Forgotten Just How Good These Salmon Fish Cakes Were

Main summary

Key takeaways

Cooking

Presenter / Channel

Rick, Backyard Chef.

Ingredients (with quantities / substitutions mentioned)

Salmon fish cakes

  • Tinned red salmon: 2 tins
  • Mashed potato: about 700 g (already mashed)
  • Fresh parsley: “a whole load” (some set aside for sauce)
  • Red onion: 1 small onion, diced
  • Salt: to taste
  • White pepper: to taste
  • Dijon mustard: 1 tsp (for the mixture)
  • Optional: lemon juice about 1 tsp
  • Eggs: quantity not specified (for breading)
  • Flour: for breading
  • Breadcrumbs: for breading
  • Oil (for shallow frying): enough to coat the pan (quantity not specified)

Parsley sauce (pari sauce)

  • Butter: about 2 tablespoons
  • Flour: about 2 tablespoons
  • Milk: added after flour/butter (quantity not specified)
  • Dijon mustard: 1 tsp
  • White pepper: a little (plus salt)
  • Salt: a little
  • Fresh parsley: added when the sauce thickens

Serving

  • Peas: quantity not specified
  • Lemon: “a little squeeze/squirt” (optional / to taste)

Equipment & prep

  • Knife and chopping board (for parsley and onion)
  • Mixing bowl for salmon + mash filling
  • Breading setup: flour → beaten eggs → breadcrumbs
  • Tray for coated fish cakes
  • Optional: a ring to shape perfect rounds (restaurant-style)
  • Frying pan for shallow frying
  • Rack over kitchen towel (to drain cooked fish cakes)
  • Sauce pot/pan + whisk + wooden spoon/spatula
  • Optional: freezer and plastic bag / individual wrapping for storing

Step-by-step method (technique + timings / temperatures)

1) Prep filling

  1. Chop parsley (size doesn’t need to be precise—fine or larger bits both work).
  2. Set some parsley aside for the fish cakes, and the rest for the parsley sauce.
  3. Dice the small red onion into small pieces.
  4. In a bowl, check the tinned salmon and remove any large bones/skin you don’t want.
  5. Gently mash the salmon (Rick emphasizes not fully mashing everything).
  6. Combine the salmon with:
    • mashed potato (~700 g)
    • diced onion
    • parsley (portion for cakes)
    • salt + white pepper (to taste)
    • Dijon mustard (1 tsp)
    • Optional: lemon juice (~1 tsp)

2) Shape and bread fish cakes

  1. Form around 8 large fish cakes (Rick notes they’re “massive”; smaller cakes could yield more).
  2. Set up breading station: flour, beaten eggs, breadcrumbs.
  3. For each cake, coat in this order:
    • roll in flour
    • dip in egg
    • coat in breadcrumbs
    • use the “dry hand / wet hand” technique (Rick jokes about breadcrumbs sticking to fingers).
  4. Neat shaping (optional):
    • Place on a tray with a ring, then press/squash down for a perfect round.
    • Otherwise, shape by hand.

3) Cook fish cakes (shallow-frying)

  1. Add oil to a pan so the cakes can be shallow-fried.
  2. When oil is hot, cook:
    • 3–4 minutes per side
  3. Flipping technique: slide gently and turn carefully to avoid breaking.
  4. Flip a couple of times if desired; aim for light golden color (or cook a bit longer for more color).
  5. Remove to a rack on kitchen towel to drain.
  6. Rick’s note: watch the pan temperature—oil is hot and cook times are short.

4) Parsley sauce (pari sauce)

  1. Melt butter (~2 tbsp) in a pan.
  2. Add flour (~2 tbsp) and cook the flour out (whisk first, then use a wooden spoon/spatula to “take the rawness out”).
  3. Add milk and stir until the sauce thickens quickly.
  4. Stir in:
    • 1 tsp Dijon
    • salt and white pepper
  5. Add parsley and don’t cook it too long—once thickening starts, stir in parsley and stop.

5) Plate / serve

  1. Plate salmon fish cakes.
  2. Add parsley sauce (Rick suggests a small splash on the bottom, then more over the top).
  3. Serve with peas.
  4. Optional finish: squeeze/squirt of lemon.

Chef tips & storage / variation notes

  • Fresh parsley is recommended for better flavor and appearance; dry parsley can be used (even in sauce), but fresh is preferred.
  • Freezing before cooking: fish cakes can be frozen as-is; later thaw and reheat.
  • Freezing after cooking: you can also freeze cooked cakes. Defrost properly (moisture from potato), then reheat in an oven or air fryer, reheating gently/slowly.
  • Common difficulty: flipping without breaking—use gentle sliding and careful turning.

Referenced sources

  • No external sources are cited.
  • Tinned salmon brand references mentioned: John West and Princess (and Rick notes he’s using a different brand in the video).

Original video