I was browsing through the Powisset Farm Store the other day, reloading on Valicenti Farms truffled mushroom ravioli and fresh eggs, when I noticed a cookbook on display promising “seasonal menus for modern New England families.”
I had to ask myself, did Leigh Belanger write the subtitle of My Kitchen Chalkboard specifically for me?
Of course I picked it up, since I’m a sucker for cookbooks, for seasonal cooking, and for considering the Family CWD a modern New England family.
The book itself is organized around the concept of weekly meal planning, focused on one major cook (e.g., a roast chicken) with follow on meals using the leftovers (e.g., chicken soup). It’s a concept we use at CWD Ranch1, but I had never really consciously thought about meal planning this way. Big miss on my part! It certainly makes life easier — using the leftovers from a braised chuck roast for the base of a Bolognese sauce — and the “thrifty New England frugality” aspect aligns with our vibes. If nothing else, the book was worth it to inspire that!
As I’ve written each time we feature a fish recipe, each Monday we get our fish delivery, and each Monday we debate how we should cook the fish. Flipping through My Kitchen Chalkboard, I stopped on a recipe for bluefish cakes2, which is technically a summer recipe in the book, but looked great. So that became dinner — albeit with our fresh catch of pollock, not bluefish. The actual recipe calls for leftover grilled bluefish, and encourages you to make the fishcakes ahead of time, but we did it all in one night and it wasn’t too much of a hassle.
So give this one a shot next time you’ve got a hankering for fish. Mrs. CWD said it was almost just as good even as her family’s famous crabcakes3 — which is saying something!
Pre-heat your oven to 375(F). Dust about 2 pounds of white fish fillets4 with Old Bay, JO, or other crab seasoning, dab a sheet pan with butter, lay the fish on top, and pop it in the oven until it’s cooked through and flaky, about 10-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.
While the fish is cooking, sauté an onion in a large cast iron pan, preferably in bacon fat5. While the onion is browning, in a medium sized bowl, crack two eggs and add a heaping spoonful of mayo, the juice from 2 lemons, a few dashes of hot sauce, and mix together. Add in the onion when it’s done, and when the fish finishes cooking, flake it, and add that too. Cover with about a cup of breadcrumbs, and loosely mix to combine.
With you hands, form 6-8 cakes6, place on a cutting board or sheet pan, and place in the fridge for about half an hour7. Once the cakes are firm, heat up some bacon fat in your pan and fry on each side until golden brown, 3-5 minutes a side.
Enjoy over salad, on a English muffin with a poached egg8, or just straight up.
So there you have it. Fish cakes. Not what you probably thought you’d be cooking this week, but here we are. As many of you know, Family CWD is expecting another farmhand in the imminent future, so that, coupled with the holidays, may make things seem a little sporadic around here. Bear with us. I’m trying to schedule a few posts for the rest of the year, to save writing time later, so if some of the references feel dated or aren’t personalized to the minute… that’s why.
With that, I’ll let you get to your holiday shopping! If you remember to drink some water and take a hike, all the better.
Bluefish, being a highly underrated fish we’ve written about before.
Technically that’s the recipe for crabs, not crab cakes, but I know based on newsletter statistics almost none of you click on links, so I can get away with bait-and-switches like this.
We used pollock, since that’s what came in our fish share this week.
You could use butter or ghee, or olive oil in a pinch.
Or more if you’re not a glutton like me.
Or if you’re pressed for time, the freezer works too. You just want the cakes to harden a bit. You can do this the day before and leave them in the fridge, or, as the original recipe suggests, you could freeze the patties and take them out later to cook.
That’s a Fishcake Benedict, for those in the know. Don’t forget the Hollandaise sauce!
I love the concept of food recycling. Unfortunately at Nana's house, any leftovers are usually gobbled up cold the next day for either breakfast or lunch or both, depending on who's here. There may be a scrap or two left in the container for good graces, but that's about it.
Can't wait for the arrival of the new farmhand. You'll have to get this one to work right away, which thankfully should be an easy task with Baby CWD #1 already there to supervise and instruct.
Looks like something I would like. Although,
Crab Cakes are my favorite.