I turned tinned salmon into Nigella Lawson’s crispy fishcakes

There are a number of tinned and canned foods that go into my shopping baskets and into the meals I cook. Beans (normal and baked), spaghetti hoops, soup, chopped tomatoes, and even tuna, which I am a massive fan of, all find their way into my basket on a regular basis at the supermarket.

Tinned tuna has been a staple throughout my life, and I never really look beside the cans on the shelf. Lo and behold, it turns out that tuna is not the only type of fish that can be preserved in a tin. It’s taken me 30 years on this planet, but I finally purchased – and ate – my first tinned salmon.

For some reason, even though tinned tuna seems like a completely normal and acceptable concept to me, tinned salmon just makes me feel… icky. I can’t quite articulate why, but seeing rows upon rows of bright pink tins made my teeth itch.

However, if it’s anything like tinned tuna, I’m sure it’s safe for human consumption, right? Tinned fish is a great alternative to buying fresh, especially as prices continue to creep up. It may not seem as appealing, but I wouldn’t turn my nose up at a product purely because it came preserved in a tin.

Using salmon in a tin can also make it easier to use in recipes, and none other than the queen of indulgent, sensual cooking herself, Nigella Lawson, uses it in one of her own recipes. To make her simple and delectable salmon fishcakes, Nigella uses a whole can of tinned salmon. If it’s good enough for Nigella, surely it’s good enough for me.

I’ll be honest, removing it from the can further reaffirms my belief that salmon shouldn’t come in a tin. It looks reminiscent of dog food or the dinner of a Victorian child, with the pale pink meat wrapped in slimy dark grey skin. I seriously questioned my cooking integrity at this point.

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However, once I used a fork to break it down, it didn’t look too gruesome. Its preserved state certainly made it easier to work with, incorporating fish throughout the fishcake.

All the ingredients came together with ease. While cooking a salmon fillet from scratch is fine, it would obviously make the cooking process longer.

Once the fishcakes were shaped and rested in the fridge to firm up, it was time to see how it would fair cooking. It went about as well as I expected, as with fresh salmon, the fish itself is highly delicate and can be difficult to keep together.

Whether it was the fish’s fault or the mash potato, the fishcakes are so incredibly delicate to handle, especially when flipping them over. Bits of breadcrumbs, spud and salmon flaked off. It’s definitely a recipe for those with dainty hands.

Even with the initial grimace and cack-handed cooking, the results were pleasantly surprising. That is how I would sum it up. You wouldn’t even know that the salmon came from a tin.

The fish didn’t have quite the flaky texture you’d find with a fresh fillet, but there’s enough taste and salt to know you’re definitely eating salmon. If anything, it’s a great short cut if you’re in a time crunch, or looking for a more economical fish option at the supermarket.

I’d happily swap to tinned salmon any time. I’ll probably just have to close my eyes when taking it out of the tin.

Nigella Lawson’s Salmon Fishcakes

Ingredients

• Approx. 500g cold mashed potatoes
• 418g tinned salmon
• 15g unsalted butter (melted – if the mashed potato hasn’t got any butter in it)
• One fat pinch of cayenne pepper
• Grated zest of ½ unwaxed lemon
• Maldon sea salt flakes
• Pepper
• One large egg

For Coating and Frying

• Two large eggs
• 100g matzo meal (preferably medium) or breadcrumbs
• 50g unsalted butter
• Two tablespoons vegetable oil

Method

In a large bowl, and preferably with your hands, mix together all the fishcake ingredients.

Cover a baking sheet with clingfilm, plunge your hands back into the mixture and form fat, palm-sized patties.

Place these on the baking sheet and stand in the fridge to firm up for about 20 minutes to an hour — or considerably longer if that helps.

Beat the eggs in a shallow soup bowl and sprinkle the matzo meal onto a dinner plate. One by one, dip the fishcakes into the beaten egg and then into the matzo meal or breadcrumbs, sprinkling and dredging over as you go to help coat them.

When you’re all done, put the butter and oil in a large frying pan, heat till it begins to fizzle and then fry the fishcakes on each side until the crusts are golden, and speckled brown in parts, and the soothing centres are warmed through.