Fishcakes

Cod cakes , fish cakes or potato cakes with cod all say the same thing. The very thought of these yummy morsels makes my mouth water. Several times a year I get the urge to make - and of course eat - these down-east cultural blessings.

As a child we used to buy a bale of salt cod when needed. A bale was usually 25 or fifty pounds. The cost was something like 10 cents a pound when delivered. The fish were big and the dried cod were often five or six pounds each. The poor fisherman used to get a few cents a pound for the green cod delivered to the fish plant. The other day I bought two pounds of salt cod bits and they cost $6 per pound. Normally they cost $8 a pound. Inflation I guess. At any cost, you have to have the fish to get cod cakes.

To make them I use my mother's recipe, as best I can remember, with a little help from my sister Jeannie. I always test the cod for salt and eat a little raw. This sometimes makes me thirsty and a little down-east screech and Pepsi does the trick.

Soaking the salt cod with a minimum of three waters also does the trick. Start with boiled potatoes - not too soft so they stick together - and onions partially cooked, added for their wonderful flavour. Pull apart the fish or mince it and add an egg. Use your hands to squeeze the mixture through your fingers until the mixture is soft and sticky. Now my specialty is to add some garlic, fresh if on hand and powder if that's all you can get your hands on. Poultry seasoning will provide the special taste I love.

Have fun trying to make 24 balls of equal size and place on something flat like a counter top. Use the potato masher to flatten. This also makes nice grooves for the heat to penetrate and cook. Use cooking oil in small amounts and high heat to brown the cakes on both sides. Most time you lose pieces of the cakes when turning so these become testers. Finish by letting these cakes cool and either freeze them or better still - eat them.

My daughters love the delicious taste of these cakes and I want them to learn the secrets to making this - about the simplest dish going. My daughters Glenda and Lynda usually get their share but Dar misses out as she lives too far away. In any case the tradition of cod cakes will live on in our family as I will give them the recipe for a gift someday. The reason I have not up until now is I love to make them myself.

Try them sometime and you will surely agree.