Herbed Fish Cakes

SERVES 6

From Robin Miller. My fish cakes are an excellent variation on the traditional crab cake. Not that I don't adore crab, but fish is a nice change. My fish cakes are a breeze to prepare and, if you make a huge batch, you can enjoy creamy Fish and Corn Chowder, Stuffed Red Bell Peppers, and Artichoke Salad with Capers and Red Lettuce later in the week. If you don't feel like eating all the fish in one week, simply freeze the leftovers and make those dishes another time. Or cut this recipe in half (cook just under 3 pounds of fish) and enjoy tonight's meal plus one additional meal (your choice from the morph recipes that follow). THE PORTIONS YOU ARE COOKING IN THIS MEAL ARE MEANT TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THREE OTHER MEALS (listed at end of paragraph below).  Essentially you are making enough of the main ingredient so that three other completely different meals can be cooked up quickly. Now that’s using leftovers!

The fish cakes, stuffed bell peppers, and salad also work well with tuna (not true of the chowder), so feel free to substitute fresh tuna steaks or an equal amount of canned light tuna for the halibut (reduce the quantity of tuna by about 1 pound since you won't be making the chowder).

I serve these fish cakes with Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Shallots (see "Sides") and warm dinner rolls.
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5 pounds fresh or frozen halibut or cod fillets or steaks, thawed and skin removed if necessary
3/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon seasoned dry bread crumbs
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 1/4 teaspoons Old Bay® seasoning
1 1/2  teaspoons dried oregano
3/4  teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil 

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Place the fish in a large stock pot and pour in enough water to cover. Set the pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the eat to low and simmer just until the fish is fork-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain.

You may also cook the fish in the microwave: Arrange the fillets in a single layer in a microwave-safe baking dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes, until the fish is fork-tender. If the fish needs more cooking, cook in 1-minute intervals to prevent overcooking.

Transfer the fish to a large bowl and fold in the mayonnaise, bread crumbs, mustard, parsley, basil, Old Bay, oregano, and pepper. Shape the mixture into 18 cakes, each about 1 inch thick. (At this point, you can cover the cakes with plastic wrap and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the refrigerator or microwave
for 3 to 5 minutes on LOW before cooking.)

Heat the oil in a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fish cakes a few at a time and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake 20 minutes.

Serve 6 cakes for this meal and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months; thaw completely in the refrigerator or microwave for 3 to 5 minutes on LOW before using.

TIME SAVER tip:
Assemble the fish cakes and refrigerate up to 3 days before cooking. 

Total Time: 40 to 45 minutes
PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES
ACTIVE COOKING TIME: 4-5 MINUTES
WALK-AWAY TIME: 20 MINUTES

STORAGE SAVVY:
To store the fish cakes in the freezer, place them on a baking sheet and set them in the freezer until frozen solid, then transfer to a freezer bag and label and date it. You'll then be able to open the bag and take out however many fish cakes you need. If you happen to really like this recipe, simply eat the fish cakes as is, instead of morphing them, Thaw in the microwave for a few minutes on LOW before reheating for a
minute or so on HIGH.