Keftes De Peshkado - Rhodean Fish Cakes

[TasunkaWitko]

Keftes De Peshkado - Rhodean Fish Cakes

This recipe comes from Brook's thread on Sephardic foodways, which is posted in the Iberian section of the Foods of the World Forum, due to the history of the Sephards. It is equally appropriate to consider it to be part of Greek cuisine, because much of the lineage of this dish is Rhodean as well as Sephardic.

First, here is the recipe:

Keftes De Peshkado
Rhodian Fish Cakes


1 stalk celery in chunks
1/2 carrot in chunks
1.5 tsp fresh lemon juice
3 black peppercorns
1 tsp salt
Handful of parsley stems
1 lb 2 oz mixed fish fillets (hake, salmon, cod, etc.)
5 oz potatoes
A few fresh dill stalks
1 tbls olive oil
1 egg lightly beaten
1 tbls scallion, finely chopped
1.5 tbls finely chopped parsley
1 tbls finely chopped dill
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch white pepper

For coating:

1/2 cup white flour
1 or 2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs or matzoh meal

Oil for frying plus 1 tbls butter

Put the celery, carrot, lemon juice, peppercorns, salt and parsley stalks in a pan of boiling water. Reduce to a simmer. Add the fish and cook for 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily. Flake fish with fingers, discarding any skin or bones. Chop carrot finely.

Simmer the potatoes with dill stalks in salted water until they are tender. Drain, remove dill, and mash or pass through a ricer. Mix in the olive oil.

Combine fish with the potato, carrot, egg, scallions, dill, parsley, salt and pepper.

Shape the fish into balls about the size of an egg and flatten slightly. Or use a 1 ¾” disher. Dip cakes into flour, then egg, then matzoh meal. Transfer to a tray and chill, covered, until ready to fry.

Heat 1 inch of oil and the butter. Fry cakes, in batches, until golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on a rack or paper towels. Serve hot.

We had this for supper last night - and yes, you folks do need to try it!

We prepared ours with cod and tilapia, and the results were very good. My #3 son, Mike, made them while The Beautiful Mrs. Tas and I were on our way home from work, and he did a pretty good job. I really liked the way that the carrot and celery provided a nice balance to the fish; the dill, lemon, pepper and scallions were also a very nice touch. This dish comes together really nicely, and I can't help but continue to think that Sephardic cuisine is among the best undiscovered cuisines that one could hope to find.

The rest of the family really enjoyed them, as well - their only criticism was that the fish cakes could have had a little salt and/or lemon at serving. My solution: a salt and pepper shaker, and lemon wedges.

Very, very good stuff, Brook - thank you for the introduction to this!

Ron