Savory Cod Cakes

Crispy, savory, and full of flavor! This recipe for Savory Cod Cakes is so good you will think you are eating the full carb version. The cakes have a nice crispiness to the outside while being tender and flaky on the inside. Think cod fish and chips minus the chips and the extra carbs! You can serve this with your favorite tartar sauce alone or make a delicious fish sandwich out of it by mixing some angel hair shredded cabbage with ranch, topped with a fresh slice of tomato, seated on a buttery toasted bun. If you wanted to go really crazy, you could melt some cheese on top...so good!

Cod is a white fish that most of us have had at one time or another. It is like the poorer relation to Halibut...lol. When I have fish and chips, I normally order Cod. I like Cod because it does not have the strong fishy flavor and is a lot less expensive. If you feel like living on the edge, you can always substitute the cod for halibut. Depending on where you live, fresh Cod may not be available. If that is the case and you need to buy frozen, just make sure you press out the excess liquid with paper towels when thawed. You will also want to add about 1/4 cup of additional almond flour to absorb the liquid that will come from the fish. I highly recommend using fresh when you can as the texture of frozen fish is different. You can also use whatever fresh white fish that is readily available at your local grocery store. But enough about the frozen fish, let's talk more about the taste of these yummy cakes! 

Every bite is flavorful with hints of shallots, bell pepper, parsley, tarragon, and dill. These Savory Cod Cakes are so good that I bet that you could get even your most finicky eaters to try them. For kids who are picky eaters, you can form these into large fish sticks and serve with some ranch. I know that when I made these in the past for my kids (yes, I have one who is a crazy picky eater too!), I formed them into large fish sticks and she had no idea that they were full of herbs and gobbled them up! It's all about presentation when they are little, right? Thankfully she is older and getting better at trying new things (yes!!!). I think after one bite, you will agree with me that these are a party in your mouth and can't stop at just one! 

For this recipe, you will need the following ignredients:

Ingredients:

8 oz cod, fresh
2 tbsp shallots, finely diced

2 tbsp yellow bell pepper, diced
2 tbsp parsley flakes, dried or fresh*
1/2 tsp tarragon, dried or fresh*

1 tsp dill, dried or fresh*

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1 egg, beaten

1/2 tsp sugar substitute, like Lakanto

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper, finely ground

1/2 cup almond flour, finely ground

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

* If using fresh herbs, then you will need to triple the quantity. For example, 1 tsp of dried dill would be 3 tsp when using fresh. It is a ratio of 1:3 (dried: fresh).

Directions:

1. Finely chop up your cod until it is all uniform and add to a large mixing bowl.

2. Chop your shallot, bell pepper, parsley, tarragon, and dill and add to bowl with cod. 

3. Add parsley, tarragon, mayonnaise, egg, sugar or sugar substitute, salt, and pepper. Mix together with a large spoon.  

4. Fold in the almond flour until fully incorporated.

5. In a nonstick pan, heat olive oil and butter on medium high. 

6. Once the oil is hot, form 1/4 cup balls out of cod mixture and place evenly spaced in pan. Gently press down the balls until approximately 1/2" thick. You should get 4-5 crab cakes from the batch.

7. Carefully lifting up the edges, flip cod cakes after approximately five minutes. 

7. Gently lifting up on the edges, flip cod cake cook for another five minutes.  

8. After five minutes, flip one final time and cook for approximately 2 minutes. 

9. Remove from heat and place on a paper lined plate. Serve with tartar sauce or just eat alone as they are delicious!