Fish Cakes with Sauce Marie Rose

Everyone who knows me knows I LOVE fried food, and this dish is no exception. When I first glanced at this recipe, I clearly didn't read it carefully, because I assumed I'd be making something akin to crab cakes until literally the point where I'd cooked and shredded the fish! I'm going to chalk it up to delirium from the gorgeously mild weather we'd had yesterday. (45? In January?!)


Despite the fact that my house still smells like a fry vat this morning, I adore these cakes. My recipe leans heavily on one I found at totallybarbados.com that uses salt fish. Folks in this neck of the woods call them hush puppies. And, boy were they good. So light and fluffy inside, with a delicate flavor. 

In truth, the fact that my batter sat for about an hour while I waited for our friend - who was on his way over when he got a frantic request to stop at the grocery for canola oil - probably helped immensely in terms of flavor. The herbs had time to permeate the batter, and the onions mellowed.


I hope you all try making these sometime. They are truly divine. But, perhaps if you're socked in with winter should wait till spring or summer to make these on your grill's side burner or with your windows open. If you can.


½ lb fish (firm, like cod, haddock, perch, etc.)
1 small onion, very finely diced

3 cloves garlic, very finely diced
1 Tbsp hot sauce (or to taste)
1¼ cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 egg

½ cup milk

½ cup water

1 pat of room-temperature butter

¼ cup scallions (about 2-3), very finely diced
1 tsp each dried thyme, parsley, marjoram (or fresh if you’ve got it)

Freshly ground pepper and salt, to taste

Gently poach the fish. 

While that’s cooking, make the Sauce Marie Rose, so it has time to sit.

Sauce Marie Rose

½ cup low-fat mayonnaise


2 Tbsp tomato ketchup


1 Tbsp fresh lime juice


1 tsp sugar

Hot sauce, to taste

Once the fish has cooled enough to handle it, shred it into a large bowl. Add everything else and whisk together. You may need to add more flour if you want to fry nice, rounded spoonfuls. I didn't mind that the batter was still a little loose and was rewarded with funky bumps and shapes.

Heat the oil to 375°. (Be sure you use oil with a smoke point that’s appropriate with deep frying, like canola, vegetable, peanut or coconut.) Deep fry teaspoonfuls until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve them hot with Marie Rose Sauce or your favorite condiment. Our friend tried them with ranch dressing and loved it!