An Easy Nova Scotia Fish Cakes Recipe (2024)

October 30, 2019

Ayngelina

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Growing up in Nova Scotia, fish cakes were something we ate regularly.

This Nova Scotia fish cakes recipe is so versatile you can use salt cod, or it’s also great with leftover fish such as salmon or tilapia.

An Easy Nova Scotia Fish Cakes Recipe (1)

You can find fish cakes at home or order them in Nova Scotia restaurants.

Traditional Nova Scotia recipes are usually quite simple, easy to make and easy on the budget.

In fact they are on almost every menu in restaurants in Cape Breton, and often a breakfast option with a side of beans.

Fish cakes are often as simple as fish, mashed potatoes, egg, onion and celery if you want to get fancy.

An Easy Nova Scotia Fish Cakes Recipe (2)

I also like to add fresh herbs and spices if I have them on hand. Dill is great, but so is summer savoury or parsley.

ALSO READ: 99 Essential Nova Scotia Foods

I love how fish cakes are found all over the world. Fish cakes in Barbados are round instead of flat patties.

They are found on practically all menus from street vendors to 5-star hotels.

You can also find fish cakes in Ireland and pastéis de bacalhau also known as salt cod fritters in Portugal.

Similar fritters called bacalaítos are in the Dominican Republic and fiskefrikadeller in Denmark.

Fish Cakes Recipe

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If you’ve never made fish cakes before this is why they need to be a staple:

  • They are a quick and healthy meal with potatoes, fish and egg.
  • The recipe is adaptable. You can add in more veggies, add spice, and even swap out some of the white potato for sweet potato or squash.
  • They freeze well and make for great last minute meals.
  • Picky eaters love them. The original recipe isn’t spicy or bitter.
  • You can make them as thick or thin as you want. Small fish patties are great as appetizers with a bit of tartare sauce or lemon mayonnaise.

Salt Cod Fish Cakes

Salt cod is often thought of as an ingredient in Portuguese cooking but it’s been part of traditional Nova Scotia cuisine since the earliest settlers.

Salting fish was a means to preserve it so salt cod is first salted then dried.

It’s a bit of a tedious to work with as it needs to be soaked to rehydrate and the water needs to be changed several times.

ALSO MAKE THIS EASY RECIPE: Snow Crab Cakes

Although we now have reliable refrigeration, some Nova Scotia recipes continue to use salt cod fish.

But I’ve made fish cakes many times with whatever fish I have on hand or whatever is on sale.

Chicken Haddie Fish Cakes

While I grew up eating fish cakes made from chicken haddie, it’s now tough to find. Chicken haddie is a throwback to our British ancestry.

It was a can of boneless mixed fish, usually cod, hake and pollack – the most affordable fish.

It made traditional fish cake recipes easy because people usually had a can of chicken haddie in their cupboards and only needed mashed potatoes to make the cakes.

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Fish Cakes FAQ

Are Fish Cakes Gluten-Free?

They absolutely can be! The fish patties are dipped in all purpose white flour and then pan fried. Simply use gluten-free flour and they are ready to go.

Can I Use Panko Bread Crumbs?

My Nova Scotia fish cakes recipe uses flour and then pan fried in butter. That’s how I ate it growing up and continue to prefer it.

You can easily do a simple batter with the fish cakes the same way you would pan fry fish:

Dip one fish patty at a time. First in flour, then in a beaten egg. Allow the excess egg drip off before coating fish cakes in the bread crumb.

Can I Freeze Fish Cakes?

You can keep uncooked fish cakes in the fridge for a day or two. You can also keep fish cakes in the freezer for up to three months.

I prefer to cook them then freeze, and then just defrost and warm in the oven.

But you can also defrost the fish cakes and then finish them by pan frying.

How to Make Fish Cakes – An Easy Recipe

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Nova Scotia Fish Cakes

Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

A quick and easy Nova Scotia fish cakes recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb fish, cooked
  • 5 large potatoes, russet or baking potatoes
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp garlic salt
  • 1 tsp summer savoury (optional)
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons celery, diced
  • 1/4 cup onions, diced
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • Sea salt and cracked black pepper

Instructions

  1. Over medium-low heat add vegetable oil to a heated sauce pan. Saute onion and celery until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
  2. Cut potatoes into quarters and boil until cooked and drain. Return to pot. Add butter, garlic salt, sea salt, black pepper, sauteed onion and celery, and summer savoury (optional). Mash together to create mashed potatoes. Let cool in fridge
  3. Add fish and beaten egg and loosely combine. Form into patties and place on large plate or tray. Put in fridge for one hour to allow patties to cool.
  4. To cook heat sauce pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil or butter. Lightly flour patties and pan fry until golden, 2-3 minutes a side.
  5. You can eat them immediately or cool to eat the next day or freeze to eat later.

Notes

1. Normally I don't use garlic powder or garlic salt but growing up my grandmother made mashed potatoes with garlic salt and although she's passed our family continues the tradition.

2. Cooling the fish patties in the fridge makes them easier to pan fry. I prefer them to be the size of hamburgers, a little more flat than the ones in these photos.

3. You can serve with tartare sauce, sweet chili sauce, tomato jam or ketchup.

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo on Facebook and tag @BaconisMagic

More Great Nova Scotia Recipes

  • Nova Scotia Fish Chowder
  • Avondale Sky’s Cherry Tomato Salad
  • Luckett Vineyard Crush Pad Steak and Mushroom Pie
  • Nova Scotia Hodge Podge Recipe
  • Strawberry Tarts
  • Nova Scotia Blueberry Grunt
  • Lobster Pasta Salad
  • Stirling’s Mixed Berry Crisp Recipe

Pin it: Nova Scotia Fish Cakes

  • An Easy Nova Scotia Fish Cakes Recipe (9)
  • An Easy Nova Scotia Fish Cakes Recipe (10)

This Nova Scotia fish cakes recipe is part of a paid partnership with Tourism Nova Scotia where I independently explore where I grew up to share what I think is the best food and wine in the Annapolis Valley. I am thrilled to work with him as it’s a dream job to promote my home and its delicious recipes.

An Easy Nova Scotia Fish Cakes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best binder for fish cakes? ›

Eggs and cracker crumbs will help bind everything together below a drift of spice. Make sure to leave some time to chill the resulting patties in the refrigerator – the cold will help them set up so they don't fall apart in the sauté pan.

How do you keep homemade fish cakes from falling apart? ›

What can I do to stop my Thai fish cakes falling apart in the frying pan? You need to work the mixture more. Kneading or mixing the mixture changes the protein and makes it sticky. That help the cakes stay together.

Why are my fish cakes rubbery? ›

Most version include egg which is used as a binder. In this recipe, you have that option but personally I prefer the texture without the egg. Adding egg gives the Thai fish cakes a rubbery texture which some people like.

How do you keep fish cakes from sticking? ›

"Heating your pan properly is a key factor for keeping your fish from sticking and will give you a flavorful crust. Heat your pan on a medium-high heat, then add a small amount of oil or clarified butter. When the fat is shimmering, the pan is hot enough to add your protein.

How do you make fish patties stick together? ›

Cream, eggs or a panade mix of flour and butter are commonly used as binding. Some common fish cakes: Gefilte fish.

What can I use as a binder for fish? ›

First, use the right “glue.” If you've got the time and patience, a traditional breading (flour, egg and breadcrumbs) will work, but a far less messy and time-consuming binder is mayonnaise. It brings a bit of richness to the fish and spreads onto the fillets with a spatula so you can keep your hands clean.

How do you thicken fish cakes? ›

Add some breadcrumbs if you have them, stir a few handfuls into the mixture before you coat them. Don't add flour, it'll not cook and you will taste it. And when the burgers have been made into the right shape I stick them in the fridge for at least half an hour, which solidifies them a bit more.

How do you keep fish from falling apart when cooking? ›

Fish proteins break apart pretty easily at warmer temperatures, so keep it refrigerated until ready to use. Dry off the fillets/nuggets/tenders before battering to ensure better adhesion, which helps support the fish such that it falls apart less easily. Cook at the right temperature for the right amount of time.

Is it best to freeze fish cakes before cooking? ›

Hello, They should be frozen before frying.

How do you know when fish cakes are done? ›

When the oil is hot, carefully lower the fish cakes into the pan. Cook for 5 - 7 minutes or until golden brown underneath and then carefully flip them over. Fry for another 5 - 7 minutes or until golden on the bottom and heated all the way through.

What is the pink stuff in fish cakes? ›

Narutomaki is made from surimi (white fish paste) that's been molded into a log and steamed. The pink spiral comes from dying half of the surimi with red food coloring and then rolling it into a cylinder.

What is the swirl in fish cake? ›

This processed roll is primarily made of frozen surimi (processed, pureed whitefish), while the pink swirl comes from food coloring. Invented in the 1800s and prepared by slicing and steaming, narutomaki has a history of gracing traditional noodle soups, such as ramen and soba.

Why do you need parchment paper to bake fish? ›

This classic and extra simple method for steaming fish en papillote (or inside parchment paper packets) yields juicy, tender results for everything from sablefish and salmon to halibut to tilapia. If desired, use two or three of the suggested additions below (olives, tomatoes, etc.) to flavor the fish as it cooks.

Why do my fish patties fall apart? ›

If you add too much egg, for instance, or the canned fish isn't properly drained, the mixture will be too wet and the cakes will fall apart. Too many breadcrumbs, on the other hand, will make your cakes dry and crumbly.

Do you refrigerate fish cakes? ›

Serve fish cakes immediately with buns or pita, sandwich condiments, salad greens, lemon wedges, tartar sauce, or dipping sauces (suggestions below). Fish cakes may be refrigerated up to two days or frozen up to two months.

What are the best baking binders? ›

The three most common binders are xanthan gum, guar gum and psyllium husk powder. Each one works in a slightly different way to help create the structure we need to hold baked goods together.

What ingredient is used to bind cake mixture? ›

Full Fat Milk

Liquid helps bind the dry ingredients together and are an essential part of any baked good recipe. The best type of milk to use in cake baking is full fat or whole milk, as it generally contains 3.5% fat, while skim milk contains none.

What can be used as a binder in baking? ›

For brevity, here are some of the most popular ones:
  • Cracker crumbs.
  • Eggs.
  • Evaporated milk.
  • Gelatin.
  • Ground flax.
  • Guar gum.
  • Oatmeal.
  • Milk.
Aug 17, 2021

What is the best flour for a binder? ›

Gluten in wheat flour serves as a binder for the various ingredients in a recipe and helps to holds everything together. When you're baking with nut flours in the absence of gluten, you'll need to add alternative binders to achieve that same texture and fluffiness.

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