These cod and sweet potato fish cakes are a fun comfort food dinner the whole family will love! Made with frozen cod and pantry staples, these are an easy fish dinner for a busy weeknight.
If you love a fish dinner as my family does, then you may like to see my baked cod with pesto and honey ginger baked cod. Both tasty recipes for a family dinner!
These cod sweet potato fish cakes are such a cozy evening meal, and always a popular family dish in my home! Turn to the freezer and pantry for a tasty dinner that you can pair with vegetables or salads.
Love sweet potato recipes? Do check out my fun sweet potato fritters!
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⭐ Why you'll love this recipe
- Comfort food - there's just *something* about sweet potato fish cakes that feels so cozy, and these are so tasty and moreish.
- Pantry and freezer staples - this recipe uses ingredients that most of us have to hand.
- Enjoy year-round - whether it is with a salad in the summer, or vegetables and starches in the colder months, these cod fishcakes are so versatile.
🦀 Ingredients
Make sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients and their quantities!
Using pantry and freezer staples, these cod and sweet potato fish cakes require a relatively short list of ingredients. Some notes on a few of them:
- Cod - we use frozen cod in these fish cakes, which most of us have 'on standby' as my mum says!
- Sweet potato - as well as being delicious, this binds the fish cakes together.
- Flour - I use spelt flour to make this recipe, but regular flour works well too.
- Egg yolk - also to help bind, but gives a little protein too.
🔪 Step by step instructions
Making these cod and sweet potato fish cakes is quite easy, with just a few steps:
Step 1
Bake the fish. Bake the fish for 25-30 minutes until thoroughly cooked through (although the photo doesn't show it, it is best to cover the fish with some foil) (image 1).
Step 2
Make your sweet potato mash. Boil or steam the sweet potatoes so that they are soft when pierced with a fork. Leave to drain in a colander and to cool for a few minutes. Mash with the back of a fork or potato masher, leaving some lumps as this will help bind the fish cakes (image 2).
Recipe tip: leave the sweet potato to drain of excess water as too much will prevent the fish cakes from binding together.
Step 3
Fry onion and herbs. Fry the onion until softened, along with garlic and dried thyme (image 3).
Step 4
Combine the fish cake mixture. Once the fish is ready, add it to a large bowl and allow to cool for a few minutes. Flake the fish. Add the sweet potato, onion and thyme mix, parsley, egg yolk, flour, salt and pepper to the bowl and stir to combine (image 4).
Recipe tip: if the mixture seems too wet, add another sprinkle of flour.
Step 5
Cook the fish cakes. Pour olive oil into a large frying pan. Take a small handful of the fish mixture and turn it into patties using your hands. Add to the pan. Repeat for the rest of the fish mixture. Fry until the fish cakes have cooked through and hold together (image 5). Be careful flipping so they don’t break up!
💭 Recipe tips and notes
- To make a fish cake, take a small handful of the fish mixture and roll between your hands to form a ball. Add to the frying pan and then flatten with a spatula to form a patty.
- For baking the fish I tend to use an ovenproof dish and then cover with a piece of aluminium foil. Discard any excess liquid after cooking.
- Let the sweet potato drain of excess liquid. Too much can prevent the fish cakes from binding together.
- If the fish mixture feels too wet, add another half tablespoon of flour to the bowl.
- Make sure the fish cakes are sufficiently cooked on one side before trying to flip them! Too soon and they could break up . . . But also keep an eye on them so they don't burn!
📋 Frequently asked questions
I tend to use cod but you can also use a white fish such as pollock.
Personally I fry mine, but see below in the comments for a reader who baked them!
Fish cakes usually break up if they are too wet. Allow the sweet potato to drain of liquid in a colander, and when mashing leave some lumps. If the mixture seems too dry add a touch more flour, and if it doesn't seem sticky enough you can add another egg yolk.
🍽 How to serve fish cakes
I think fish cakes are always best with some form of sauce or dip. My tahini dill sauce is perfect for pairing with this recipe I think!
And on the side you can do baked vegetables or salads such as my apple radish salad, my kale apple slaw or my quinoa arugula salad.
🦀 Fish and a low histamine diet
Fish and a low histamine diet can be a little tricky until you figure out how to make it work for you. Fresh fish builds histamine very quickly. Frozen fish though rates as 0 on the Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI) food list for histamine. However, as SIGHI advise, it is best to not have any long-term storage, and to thaw quickly and use immediately. As a highly perishable food, it's a freezer to oven situation!
🥣 More tasty fish recipes
Find fun and tasty fish recipes here on the blog, including my popular almond crusted cod and my pistachio crusted cod. Some recent recipes to enjoy:
I’m always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes. And please do leave a star rating ⭐ if you've tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Cod and Sweet Potato Fish Cakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 frozen cod fillets
- 2 small sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- ½ small white onion finely diced
- 1 garlic clove minced or finely diced
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley finely diced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1.5 tablespoon flour
- 5 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C / 390F. Once at temperature bake the fish for 25-30 minutes until cooked through.
- Boil or steam the sweet potatoes so that they are soft when pierced with a fork. Set aside to cool for a few minutes in a colander. Mash with the back of a fork or potato masher.
- Fry the onion with the thyme and garlic for 4-5 minutes until softened.
- Once the fish is ready, add it to a large bowl and allow to cool for a few minutes. Flake the fish. Add the sweet potato, onion and thyme mix, parsley, egg yolk, flour, salt and pepper to the bowl and stir to combine.
- Pour in 4-5 tbsps of olive oil to a large frying pan. Once heated, take a small handful of the fish mixture and turn it into patties using your hands. Add to the pan. Repeat for the rest of the fish mixture. Cook for 5-6 minutes until the fish cakes have cooked through and hold together. Be careful flipping so they don't break up!
Notes
- To make a fish cake, take a small handful of the fish mixture and roll between your hands to form a ball. Add to the frying pan and then flatten with a spatula to form a patty.
- For baking the fish I tend to use an ovenproof dish and then cover with a piece of aluminium foil. Discard any excess liquid after cooking.
- Don't over-mash the sweet potato. It's best to leave a few lumps as this helps the fish cakes stick together.
- Make sure the fish cakes are sufficiently cooked on one side before trying to flip them. Too soon and they could break up . . . But also keep an eye on them so they don't burn!
- If the mixture seems too wet you can add a little more flour. If it doesn't seem sticky enough, add another egg yolk.
- Please note that nutritional information is offered as a courtesy. It is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.
- garlic, which scores 1 with a note, 'In small amounts, usually well tolerated after cooking'.
- white onion scores 0, 'regular' onion scores 1 and as a liberator.
- black pepper, which scores 2. This is optional.
- flour isn't rated on SIGHI, but wheat scores 1.
Sophie says
I’ve just found your recipe and looking to make them for lunches for work, can you batch cook - store and reheat?
Claire says
You can, but you would need to refreeze if you're low histamine. I would suggest to look up safe thawing and refreezing methods, and also look at the SIGHI advice on fish and perishability.
Marit says
I know it is quite an old recipe.
But I just found your blog/website.
Tried this dish tonight and wow! (With some broccoli on the side).
I am missing flavour because of the mcas and this didn’t miss anything.
Also tried the ricotta stuffed chicken, very good as well.
Thank you for creating these recipes and making the mcas “diet” a bit tastier and less boring!
Claire says
Oh, so lovely to hear that you enjoyed the fish cakes Marit and hope you find many more ideas here that you like too!
Rebecca Hogenelst says
I love these cod cakes. The sweetness and the taste. I love them
Thank you
Claire says
So glad you like them Rebecca!
Lee says
Great recipe. I did not fry mine but baked them in the oven until brown and they were delicious. (I'm on a low fat diet due to gallbladder and liver issues)
throughthefibrofog says
So glad you liked them Lee! I hadn't thought to bake them, but will have to try it that way as well.