Sardine Fishcakes

This is one of my all-time favourite quick and easy meals. A simple mixture of tinned sardines, mashed potato, lemon and mustard all bound together in a crispy-on-the-outside, pure-comfort-on-the-inside ball of deliciousness - heaven!

Not only easy to make, these fishcakes are incredibly wallet-friendly too so it's worth splashing out on good quality sardines and eggs if you can. I like to serve them simply with a fresh, green salad and lemon wedges for squeezing over but I won't tell anyone if you have them on their own with a splodge of ketchup or mayonnaise!

Sardine Fishcakes

Serves 2

oil

225g potatoes, peeled and chopped 
120g tins sardines in oil, drained 

2 spring onions, finely chopped 

1 free-range egg, beaten 

2 tsp dijon mustard 

Finely grated zest 1 lemon, plus wedges to serve 

Pinch cayenne pepper 

25g plain flour, plus extra to dust 

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

salad, to serve

Put the potatoes in a pan of salted cold water. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 6-8 minutes or until tender. Drain well, leave to steam dry in the pan, then mash coarsely using a potato masher or the back of a fork. 

Put the sardines in a bowl, mash lightly with a fork, then add the spring onions, egg, dijon mustard, lemon zest, cayenne pepper and plain flour. Mix until combined, add the mashed potato, season generously with salt and black pepper, then mix again. 

With slightly damp hands, shape the mixture into 4 even patties. Put each one on a plate as you work, then loosely cover and chill in the fridge for 10 minutes. 

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large non-stick frying pan then fryf the fishcakes for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden and piping hot. Serve with salad and lemon wedges for squeezing over.