Farewell to England

I had the most amazing long weekend in Durban - the weather was fantastic, we found it hard to believe that it was the middle of winter with temperatures like 25 degrees! One day when I'm big I want to have a home in Durban, to live in during the winter months, and a home in Joburg for the summer months... a girl can always dream :)

So my previous dish for Italy did not do the trick as poor Italy is out of the World Cup. I thought it best to wait to post my dish for England until after the game so that no one could blame me for them going home ;-)

This dish is an eclectic mix of flavours and actually the only parts that can be linked to England are the fish and potatoes, and this is at a push because I have used sweet potatoes.

Sweet Potato Fish Cakes with Beetroot Salsa:
(Makes 6 - 8 Fish Cakes)

Fish Cakes:

4 - 5 Large Sweet Potatoes, Diced
3 - 4 Frozen Hake Fillets
Handful of Chives, Chopped
Zest of Half a Lemon
Juice of a Whole Lemon
Paprika
Herbal Salt
Corn Starch

Beetroot Salsa:

3 Cooked Beetroot, Diced

4-6 Salad Onions, Chopped

1 Bunch Mint, Torn

Lemon Juice

Lemon Infused Olive Oil
Dried Chilli Flakes
Herbal Salt

Directions:

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
Cook and mash sweet potato (should take about 15 - 20 minutes until tender)
Cook hake in the oven for about 10 minutes, by wrapping it into a tin foil parcel after drizzling with a little lemon infused olive oil or plain olive oil

Flake the cooked fish into the mash

Add the chopped chives, lemon zest, lemon juice, paprika, herbal salt and enough corn starch to be able to make fish patties that are not too moist and can be shaped easily

Shape the fish and potato mixture into fish patties

Place a sheet of tin foil on a baking tray, spray with spray and cook (I use the olive oil one)

And place the fish cakes on the sheet

Bake in the oven for about 20 - 30 minutes until the fish cakes are nice and crispy on the outside and hot on the inside

Beetroot Salsa:
Add the diced cooked beetroot (beetroot can take anywhere from 40 to 50 minutes to cook - I prefer roasting them in the oven, but boiling in a little water is also an option) chopped salad onions and torn mint leaves to a bowl
Add a generous squeeze of lemon juice and a good glug of the lemon infused olive oil, a sprinkle of dried chilli flakes and a shake or two of herbal salt
Taste and correct flavours if needed

The smooth sweetness from the sweet potato goes wonderfully with the crunch and sharpness of the beetroot salsa.

I have also served these fish cakes with a quick tomato and onion relish, which also worked very well.

Dice and fry an onion in a little olive oil; add a diced, skinless tomato to the cooked onion. Add a little Xylitol or sugar to counterbalance the sharpness of the tomato, finish off with a good grinding of black pepper and salt to taste.