Good Friday is one of my favourite times of year. The weather is warming up and the days are longer which obviously means more sunshine.
In Bermuda, we fly kites for Good Friday. It’s a tradition that’s gone on for longer than I’ve been alive. I remember making kites with my dad when I was a child and how much fun we had. Tomorrow, children all over the island will fly their kites with their parents whether homemade or store bought.
But the most important thing about Good Friday is the fishcakes + hot cross bun combo. I know many countries enjoy hot cross buns this time of year, but I don’t think any other than Bermuda eat them with fishcakes.
Fishcakes are super easy to make and pair beautifully with sweet hot cross buns. I enjoy mine with cheese, hot sauce, mayo, ketchup and lettuce. I also give the bun a little bit of a toast to caramlise the icing. I know so many people buy fishcakes, but they are so easy to make and it’s much cheaper to make them at home.
This year, I decided to go a bit healthier with mine while still keeping them traditional. I made the recipe the same as I always do but decided to cook them in my air fryer instead of doing a shallow fry on the stove. I was surprised at how crispy they turned out!
If you haven’t got your recipe sorted out, try these out and let me know how they turn out. Yes, they are healthier, but they are still a very traditional Bermuda fishcake without all the fat. If you don’t have an air fryer, you can bake them in the oven at 450 or you can shallow fry them in a little but of oil until golden brown. Here’s the video version. Let’s do this!
https://youtu.be/jRgr4cYvckU
Healthier Fishcakes
Traditional, Bermudian fishcakes witha healthy spin.
- 1 lb bag salted, dried codfish
- 1 large russett potatoe
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 large handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1 squeeze sriracha, optional
- Optional: serve on hot cross bun with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, ketchup and mayo
- Soak the codfish in a pot of water overnight. Drain in the morning and refill with fresh water. Peel and dice the potatoes. Place in the pot and put on the stove to boil on high for 15 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
- When the potatoes are done, drain the fish and potatoes and put into a large bowl. Mash with a potato mashers then add the garlic, parsley, thyme, curry powder, sriracha and pepper.
- Taste the mixture to see if it needs any salt. If it does, add a little and combine into the mixture. Form the mixture into even sized patties. You should get about 10 to 12 fishcakes.
- Heat an air fryer to 400 for 12 minutes. Spray the inside of the basket with cooking spray. Place five of the fishcakes in the basket and spray the tops with cooking spray. Cook for 12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Repeat with the remaining fishcakes. Serve hot on a hot cross bun with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, ketchup and mayo.