Salmon Fishcakes

For my first recipe, I'm starting off with a really simple set of fishcakes. For this I use salmon, but this could easily be changed to any fish of your choice. I usually make a batch of about 12 and freeze them - they defrost quickly and take five minutes to fry or oven bake.

You will need:

• Half a side of salmon (about 500g)
• 2-3 white potatoes - roughly big enough to sit in a cupped hand
• A lemon
• A tablespoon of mayonnaise (for this I use Tesco own-brand mayonnaise, although any without milk works)

How to:

1. Place the salmon into a baking tray big enough to have at least an inch or so spare from each side.
2. Slice the lemon to give 3 or 4 round slices and place these along the top of the salmon. Squeeze the rest of the lemon juice over the top. 
3. Pour a small amount of water into the bottom of the tray - just enough so that the bottom is completely covered. This keeps the salmon moist. 
4. Cover the baking tray with tin foil, and place in the oven at 190° for 30 minutes. Check throughout to ensure that it is completely cooked or not overdone. The salmon should be light pink in colour when ready.
5. Once the salmon is cooked, remove the tray from the oven and allow to cool. 
6. Whilst the salmon is cooling, peel and chop the potatoes and place into a pan of water. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer  for 15 minutes. Strain and return to pan (away from the heat).
7. Gently mash the potatoes. They do not need to be extra smooth - in fact, the lumpier the better. 
8. Break the salmon up into flakes with a fork and scoop the meat into the pan with the mashed potatoes. 
9. Add a tablespoon of mayonnaise to the fish and potato and mix together. The amount of mayonnaise you need to use varies depending on how well the potato and fish sticks together. You'll be able to judge this by picking a small handful out of the pan, squashing them together into a small flattened ball. If the mixture appears to fall apart, add a little more mayonnaise. There's no set rule for how much to use - it is completely up to you!
10. To create the patties, take a small handful (as above) and roll into a ball shape, before flattening to be about 2 inches thick. 
11. If eating straight away, heat a frying pan and place a small amount of oil into it. Add the fishcake to the pan and fry on both sides for 3-5 minutes until crispy. Alternatively, you could place the fishcakes onto a baking tray in the oven for 10 minutes or so, depending on how you like them to be. 

As I said before, these can be easily frozen. When you wish to use them, take them out of the freezer 2-3 hours before you want to cook them. Cook or fry as above, but for a little longer to ensure they're hot all the way through.