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St Helena Fishcakes

St Helena Fishcakes is a traditional Saint Helenian recipe for a classic fish cake made from a blend of cooked fresh tuna, mashed potatoes, onion, bacon and spices bound with an egg. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Saint Helenian version of: St Helena Fishcakes.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

50 minutes

Total Time:

70 minutes

Additional Time:

(+over-night brining)

Makes:

3 skins

Rating:

Tags : Chilli RecipesSpice RecipesHerb RecipesSt-helena Recipes

Different types of fish are a staple diet for Saints, though tuna fish cakes are a speciality. Made with fresh fish and chillies, it's a great example of St Helena cuisine.

St. Helena has always been an isolated island surrounded by hundreds of miles of ocean. Not surprisingly, therefore, fish has been a main component of the St. Helena diet throughout the island’s history. Of the locally-caught fish, Tuna is by far the most prevalent. Indeed it has been quipped that the St. Helena Cookbook might be subtitled “101 things to do with Tuna”. One recipe, however, seems to stand out, in the minds of locals and visitors alike: St. Helena Fishcakes.

Ingredients:

250g fresh tuna
300g potatoes
1 small onion, finely chopped
pinch of dried thyme
1 small/medium egg
1/2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 tsp mixed spice
1 rasher of bacon, diced
Salt to season
1 chilli, chopped finely
2 1/2 tbsp of paprika
2 tbsp of salt
2 tbsp of garlic powder
1 tbsp of ground black pepper
1 tbsp of onion powder
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried thyme.

Method:

Peel and chop the potatoes then boil in lightly-salted until soft (about 15 minutes). Drain, mash and set aside to cool.

Fry the fish until cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool then shred into fine pieces with a knife.

Transfer to a bowl and add the mashed potato.

Place a frying pan over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp of cooking oil and use to fry the onion, parsley, thyme, allspice, salt, chilli and bacon until lightly browned (about 8 minutes). Turn onto a plate and set aside to cool.

Add the onion mixture to the fish and mashed potato. Crack in the egg then mix everything together until well blended.

Form the mixture into patties with your hands (about 1.5cm thick and 8cm in diameter).

Place a frying pan over medium heat and pour in 2 tbsp oil. Once the oil is hot add the fish cakes and fry until nicely browned on both sides and heated through (about 15 minutes).