I had bought a whole geelbek (Cape salmon) at the fish shop in the harbour in Gqebertha, en route home from a flying trip to Cape Town. I braaied it whole (recipe coming soon in TGIFood) and, there being just the two of us, refrigerated the leftovers for use the next morning.

Fishcakes are typically made with mashed potato, though I used sweet potato, the orange ones called kara. That too could be a leftover item from last night’s supper, chilled in the fridge overnight.

The predominant flavour here is the coriander leaves, even though the dominant colour is the ochre hue of the turmeric.

There’s also some colour from the orange sweet potatoes I used.

(Makes 4 fishcakes)

Ingredients

250 g cooked geelbek (Cape salmon), or other firm white fish, at room temperature

150 g cooked orange sweet potato, mashed, at room temperature

1 tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp crushed garlic

2 Tbsp fresh coriander leaves/cilantro, chopped

2 eggs, beaten, to add to the fishcake mixture

Cooking oil

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

To coat:

Flour, as needed

4 Tbsp breadcrumbs, seasoned with salt and black pepper

1 xl egg, beaten

Method

Bring cooked fish and the mashed sweet potato to room temperature if they have been refrigerated.

Break the cooked fish into tiny pieces and put them in a bowl.

Add the mashed sweet potato, garlic, coriander and mix well. Make a well, and add 2 beaten eggs. Stir in 2 Tbsp of the breadcrumbs.

Season with salt and black pepper and stir again. 

Flour your hands. Shape the fishcakes and dust them with a little more flour.

Dip each one in the whisked egg and then in the breadcrumbs.

Put the fishcakes on a plate and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Heat cooking oil, such as canola or sunflower, in a pan on a moderate heat (so that the outside doesn’t brown too much without the fishcakes being cooked to the centre) and cook the fishcakes on both sides until golden and succulent in the middle. They cook rather quickly. DM

Tony Jackman is Galliova Food Writer 2023, jointly with TGIFood columnist Anna Trapido.

Follow Tony Jackman on Instagram @tony_jackman_cooks.

This dish is photographed on a pan plate by Mervyn Gers Ceramics.