Easy Smoked Haddock Fishcakes

Smoked haddock fishcakes are easy to make at home and freeze well. Made with flaked haddock, mashed potato, spring onions and flavoured with lemon zest and fresh parsley. Whether you're looking for a quick lunch or a hearty dinner, these fishcakes are perfect.

smoked haddock fishcakes with salad and lemon wedge on a plate.

Would you like to SAVE this Post?

I'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

I respect your privacy and you can opt out at any time.

I make fishcakes all year round. They are so easy and so much cheaper to make yourself. I can make a batch and freeze them so I always have something in for dinner. Smoked Haddock is my latest addition, but if you want to try some different flavours, check out my Salmon Fishcakes. For a stronger flavour Tuna fishcakes are perfect and can be made from tinned or canned tuna so are budget-friendly. Smoked Mackerel fishcakes are another great variety and an easy way to enjoy oily fish.

For a simple way to enjoy Haddock, check out my tips on How to cook Haddock Fillets.

Jump to:

Ingredients
Instructions
Oven Baked Smoked Haddock Fishcakes
What to serve with Smoked Haddock Fishcakes
Variations
Sustainability
Storage
Top tip
FAQ
Related
📖 Recipe
💬 Reviews

Ingredients

These Haddock Fish cakes use simple ingredients and are zero fuss.

Smoked Haddock - use good quality, sustainably sourced haddock. Dyed or undyed. In the US you might find this called Finnan Haddie or Finnan Haddock. The fish is smoked, but not cooked. The Smoked Haddock in the picture has been traditionally smoked in a smokehouse and so doesn't have the bright yellow colour of commercially smoked fish.
Spring Onions - these add great flavour and don't need cooking.
Potatoes - use a variety that is good for mashing such as Maris Piper, King Edward, or Desiree. In the US look for Russets or Yukon Gold.
Plain Flour - or All Purpose Flour. This is used for dusting the fishcakes before frying.

To make these Fishcakes Gluten Free, substitute the plain or All Purpose Flour for Cornflour.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Bring a pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Peel and chop the potatoes into chunks about 2.5cm² and simmer for 8 - 10 minutes until soft.

smoked haddock poaching in water in a pan.

At the same time, poach the haddock in a large frying pan. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil then simmer for 6-8 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. Remove the haddock and set it to one side.

spring onion lemon zest and fresh parsley in a bowl.

Whilst the fish is cooking, mix the spring onions, lemon zest and fresh parsley in a bowl.

Drain and mash the potatoes and leave to cool. Spread the mash around a cold plate so that it cools more quickly. The mash needs to be cooled so you can shape it into fishcakes.

Remove the skin from the fish, check for any bones then flake it, and leave to cool.

ingredients for fish cakes mixed together in a bowl.

Once the mash is cool, add to the bowl and mix with the smoked haddock and egg.

smoked haddock fishcakes dusted with flour

Mold the mixture into small tennis balls, then press flat between your palms so they are about 2cm thick. Dust with flour and chill for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the fishcakes over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes each side.

Hint: Make sure to drain your potatoes well before mashing them. If they are too wet, your fishcakes may fall apart.

Oven Baked Smoked Haddock Fishcakes

If you prefer to oven-bake your fishcakes, it's very simple. Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/ Gas Mark 6. Lay your fishcakes on a nonstick baking tray or on some baking parchment. For a crispier texture, spray each one with a little oil such as vegetable or sunflower oil, or bake without oil if you prefer. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes on the middle shelf of your oven.

To bake from frozen, add an extra 10 minutes.

What to serve with Smoked Haddock Fishcakes

Fishcakes with haddock are great as a lunch or dinner and can be served with the following suggestions :-

Sauce - a tartare sauce goes well with any fish. Also mayonnaise or a lemony mayonnaise - just stir in a little lemon juice to some shop-bought mayo for a quick way to do this. You can also serve them with Hollandaise or a hot Horseradish sauce.
Salad - any green salad and in particular watercress or spinach.
Vegetables - a side of garden peas, creamed leeks, asparagus, tender stem broccoli, sweetcorn, or brussel sprouts.
Other - serve your potato fishcakes with a poached egg, in a bread roll, or with a side of French Fries or sweet potato fries.

close up of inside of smoked haddock fishcake

Variations

There are lots of ingredients you can swap in these fishcakes and being able to use up ingredients you already have is important for minimising your food waste. These are just a few suggestions.

Mixing up the fish. You don't need to just stick with Smoked Haddock, you can combine it with salmon or cod. Just poach the cod or salmon along with the haddock. The poaching time will depend on the thickness of the fish but should be around 6 - 8 minutes.
Herbs and vegetables - add some fresh spinach to the fishcake mixture or some cooked garden peas. Chives and dill are also good accompaniments to smoked haddock.
Cheese - add some cheese to your fishcakes! Divide 160g of cheddar cheese into 8. Once you have shaped the fishcake, make a hole in the middle and push in a piece of cheese. Close up the hole and reshape your fishcake.

Sustainability

Buying fish from a sustainable source is important as it protects fish stocks and also ensures the fish is sourced in a way that doesn't harm other marine life. The easiest way to know is to look out for the blue Marine Conservation Society logo. The Marine Conservation Society monitor the sustainability of different fish stocks. Their Good Fish Guide has all the up-to-date information.

If possible, buy your vegetables lose without any plastic packaging so you only need to buy what you need. See the section above on Variations for tips on how you can incorporate other ingredients to avoid food waste.

Storage

You can make Smoked Haddock Fishcakes up to 24 hours in advance and keep them in the fridge. Once cooked store them in the fridge for up to 2 days.

They also freeze well. Freeze them uncooked in a single layer before popping them in a container. This will stop them from sticking together. Defrost them overnight in the fridge.

Top tip

Remember to chill your fishcakes for at least 30 minutes. This helps them keep their shape and not fall apart. You can chill them for up to 24 hours if you want to make them in advance.

FAQ

How do you keep Fishcakes from falling apart?

There are two main reasons fishcakes fall apart. The first is that the mixture is too wet. Be sure to drain your potatoes properly before mashing them to get rid of any excess water. Leaving your mash to cool before adding it to the fishcakes will help dry it off. Secondly, chilling your fishcakes for at least 30 minutes will help them keep their shape.

What to do if your fishcake mixture is too sloppy

If your fishcake mixture is too wet, try stirring in some plain or all purpose flour. Do this a little at a time. The flour will alter the texture slightly, but can help rescue soggy fishcakes.