Eating fish and seafood in general is as healthy as it can get. Fish is basic to the Mediterranean diet and should be eaten at least twice a week. It is high up in the inverted Mediterranean diet pyramid. There are many kinds of fish and many different Mediterranean diet culinary recipes to be followed.
The Fish cakes (putties) that are the result of this culinary recipe, is a Mediterranean food which combines many of the Mediterranean ingredients, such as olive oil, wine, and Mediterranean culinary spices and off course the seafood component, Cod. The recipe provided is a recipe followed in variations by many nations in the Mediterranean Sea and has been transferred to the US mainly by Greeks and Italians.
The recipe below serves 4 people.
Ingredients
- 1 lb of cod
- 1 finely chopped onion
- 12 fl. oz white dry wine
- 1 lb of mashed potatoes
- 2 teaspoons of finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon of grated fresh tarragon
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh Mediterranean dill
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup of flour
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 2 cups of bread crumbs
- ½ cup of olive oil for the frying process
Preparation
- Cut the Cod in thin strips
- Lightly fry the onion in a casserole with some olive oil putting on top of it the strips of the fish
- Add the wine and slowly heat for 6-8 mins covering the casserole and checking that the fish is cooked
- Let the fish cool and then transfer to a bowl breaking the fish in small pieces
- Add to the fish the mashed potatoes, the salt and pepper along with parsley, dill and tarragon.
- Mix all together and make the size of fish cake that you want by fist making the fish balls and then pressing them to have the fish patty
- Flour the patties and then dip them in the beaten egg and then rolling them over the bread crumbs
- Put in a large frying pan olive oil, so that it would be about half an inch deep and heat it
- Put the patties in the pan. Fry both sides of the fish patties until they have the golden color. These should take about 3-4 mins on each side.
- Remove them and put them on kitchen paper to drain the oil.
- Optionally you may make a sauce with the wine in the casserole, if you filter it and then add to it ½ cup of ouzo (Ouzo is the Greek anise based drink. In Lebanon they call it Arak and in Turkey Raki), salt, pepper, some finely chopped dill and fresh cream.
- Serve with rice or mashed potatoes and/or salad
Fish cakes are usually prepared for lunch but no one prevents you from having them for dinner. They associate well with white dry wine as this is the basis of the sauce.
Bon appétit and enjoy.
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