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Crispy Quinoa Fish Cakes With Blistered Shishito Peppers

My husband is not shy about expressing his love of fish cakes.  Since the first time I made my cod cakes, he was hooked.  My younger son (the fish lover) quickly followed in his father’s footsteps.  When I mentioned that I was developing a new fish cake recipe, eyes widened, and there was excitement in the air–yet there was also concern that the new fish cakes could not be nearly as good as the old standard they had both come to love.

Change can be hard, for some more than others!  Selfishly speaking, I wanted a fish cake that I wanted to eat. This is a long-standing issue with many chefs.  When you make something often enough, you stop being able to eat it.  Seriously, my list is long.  It’s been about 15 years and I still can’t eat crème brûlée.

blistered peppers

For this recipe, I used flounder, an inexpensive, readily available, white, flaky fish.  I wanted these fish cakes to have a bit more texture, so I added some cooked tri-color quinoa instead of your typical bread crumbs as well as some minced Shishito peppers.  The peppers tend to be mild but every once in a while you will get a few with some heat; so there was a nice subtle kick that I liked.  Fresh chives and lemon juice top off the dish and add the fresh flavor I was looking for.

fish cakes

I use Wondra flour to coat the outside of these cakes before lightly pan-frying them.  The Wondra flour helps create a crispy seal on the outside.  I served these with some additional lightly blistered Shishito peppers on the side, though you could easily substitute another vegetable or starch if you prefer.

This is not a labor-intensive recipe by any means, but I do suggest prepping most of it in advance.  In addition to making this easier around dinner time, it also allows the fish cake mixture time to firm up a bit, which helps you cook them later on.  I liked the fish cakes as is, with just a bit of fresh lemon juice drizzled on top, but you could also serve them with a simple lemon aioli if you want a more traditional sauce on the side.

 

About the Author

Andrea Potischman

I am a professionally trained NYC chef turned CA mom and food blogger. I post about real food, with doable ingredient lists that are family friendly.

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