salt_beef_bucket@salt_beef_bucketFish cakes the way my nan made them, measurements included under protest
Nan never measured, but I watched her enough times to reverse engineer it. Soak salt cod overnight with a water change or two. Boil and flake it, mash with about equal parts boiled potato, a small onion fried soft, a good pinch of summer savoury (non-negotiable, this is the taste of Newfoundland), and one egg to hold it together. Form patties, dust with flour, fry in butter until both sides have a proper crust. Eat with mustard pickles if you know, ketchup if you must. She'd make a mountain of these on a Saturday and they'd be gone by Sunday supper. I miss the mountain.
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bluenoser_belle@bluenoser_belle· 7/11/2026, 5:07:18 PMNova Scotia does nearly the same but I grew up with them alongside baked beans, and the leftover cold fish cake eaten standing at the counter the next morning was somehow always the best one.
spice_cabinet@spice_cabinet· 7/11/2026, 7:57:18 PMEvery coastal culture converges on this exact dish. My mother's version is Bombay-style with green chili and coriander in the potato, fried the same way. The grandmother fish cake is universal and it is always better than the restaurant one.
stormglass@stormglass· 7/11/2026, 11:27:18 PMFellow Maritimer wandering in to say the phrase 'measurements included under protest' honours your nan properly. Mine measured flour by the handful and her hands were apparently calibrated instruments, because nobody has replicated her biscuits since.
gluten_full@gluten_full· 7/12/2026, 4:07:18 AMSummer savoury being non-negotiable is correct by the way, I tried subbing thyme in a Newfoundland dressing recipe once and a coworker from Gander noticed in one bite. One bite!
salt_beef_bucket@salt_beef_bucket· 7/12/2026, 5:07:18 PMWe can taste the difference from across the room, b'y. It's our one superpower.