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Noah’s Cod Cakes and Tartar Sauce

My younger son, Noah, has always been a fish fan.  At one point, I thought I had a pescatarian (someone who eats fish but not meat) on my hands.  Thankfully, I don’t–I say that only because my other son is a huge carnivore and will not eat fish.  Fortunately, Noah eats almost everything, but he loves fish the most.  By “fish” I mean almost anything from the sea, from salmon to soft-shell crabs.  He is willing to try almost anything, except octopus–he likes those way too much to eat them.

I developed this recipe at my first job right out of culinary school as an alternative to crab cakes.  The recipe was so well-received by the club members that it went on to become a signature dish.  What came with that glory was the honor of making lots and lots of cod cakes, daily.  I made so many cod cakes during my time there that, I rarely enjoy them anymore.  They are, however, a big hit when I make them.

I made these for Noah when he was very little, and I have not stopped since.  He asks for these more than smoked salmon from Zabar’s and ribs from Carson’s in Chicago.  The recipe is easy and you can substitute other fish if you wish, or if cod is unavailable–I’ve been known to use frozen fish.  What works best is a flaky, non-oily mild fish.

You can also add crab to it if you desire.  The recipe also holds up if made in advance, which works great for dinner parties.  The cakes can be served as hors d’oeuvre, an appetizer, or an entree.  Noah will also join me in the kitchen to make these: he’s happy to roll up his sleeves and dig right in to mix and form the cakes.  Now that he’s older, he can probably make them all by himself.  I may just need to test that out.

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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