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Americans tend to reject fish with more bones than they think are appropriate. This is a shame because many of these fish are fantastic to eat, once you deal with the bones. And this fish cakes recipe is a prime way to fix that problem.
Pike, especially, is a wonderful fish. Very firm, very white, as mild to eat as the fish is fun to catch. I had the opportunity to chase gigantic northerns in Manitoba a few years ago and brought a few fish home to cook with.
Since then I’ve made classic pickled pike, fried pike nuggets and a pike soup I dedicated to Manitoba. That left me with just enough pike to make this Midwestern-style fish cake recipe.
Oh, and you should know that you can use virtually any species for these fish cakes. Pike is just what I happened to use.
I must admit the idea to mix wild rice with a fish cake isn’t original; I developed my recipe from one I read in Midwestern Living magazine. It’s a great idea, though, as the wild rice is both native to the region and adds a bit of color and texture to the fish cakes. Just make sure you cook the wild rice completely before adding to the fish cakes, because the cakes cook up quickly.
Pike cakes are a natural because of the fish’s many bones. True, it’s not that hard to fillet a pike, and I have detailed instructions here, but it’s easier to fillet as normal, gently poach the fish in chicken broth, and then flake out the meat. This is an especially good method for other bony fish like shad, carp or little panfish.
You only need a half-pound for this recipe, so vacuum seal any extra and freeze for later. You’ll want to make these fish cakes again.
How do these fish cakes taste? Just really good. There’s no one overwhelming flavor, although you do pick up the mustard and the chives in every bite. The fish is mild, the mayo keeps everything moist and the Worcestershire and lemon just brighten things. This is good Midwestern food without the blandness that mars that region’s culinary reputation.
What’s more, they are easy to make, and can be done start to finish in 30 minutes, if you’ve precooked the wild rice — which I do. I cook a batch of wild rice, then freeze it for when I need it. Do this, and you have a light, easy, 30-minute meal. A rarity on this site.
I do fish cakes a lot, and I have some other fish cake recipes on the site, such as trout cakes, and a salmon cake based of a Chesapeake crab cake. Lots of different fish will work in these recipes.
Fish Cakes with Wild Rice
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound cooked, flaked pike or other white fish
- 1 egg
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup cooked wild rice
- 1/4 cup minced onion, red if you have one
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon mustard, Dijon if you have it
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives
- 1/4 cup butter, lard or vegetable oil for cooking
- Greens for a salad
Instructions
- Make sure any little bones are out of the fish. Mix everything (except the oil and salad greens) together in a large bowl. Divide the mix into 8 roughly equal parts and form into patties. If you have time, set the patties on a cookie sheet in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up. You can skip this step if you are rushed.
- Fry the patties in the butter until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Serve with a green salad with a nice vinaigrette, or try my saffron aioli.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hank,
I tried with Perch and it was phenomenal! I used Panko bread crumbs. Do you normally use those or regular? Going to try with Salmon next.
Hey Hank,
I’ve heard a lot of people claim that pike doesn’t freeze (or thaw?) well. Is there any truth to this? Or is this just another excuse to justify not having to deal with the bones?
Ben: I think that’s a myth. I’ve never had a problem with frozen pike.
Hank: it calls for cooked and flaked Pike. How would you cook the Pike beforehand to prep it for the cakes?
Matt: Lots of ways, but I normally poach it gently in steaming chicken broth or sometimes just water.
I guess we had better go fishing… I want to try this. Considering I am not fond of freshwater fish, this recipe has surprised me that it is so appealing!
Just made these over our campfire, with a Northern Pike my buddy caught up in far Northern Minnesota, and they were a big hit with everyone. Used parsley & chives from my garden- thanks for the recipe Hank!
We love a similar reciepe but use panko instead of rice, then freeze them (uncooked fish), love the ease of freezer to pan…and so do the kiddos!
Could you drop these on a bun for sandwiches as well?
Mark: I don’t see why not! Go for it.
I’m wondering whether this recipe will give me the same taste if use another fishes. Pike is not popular here. Jeff Jone said that he used catfish, should I try with this fish?
Healthoop: Sure, any white fish will work… and so will trout for that matter.
I made this with Pacific Rockfish. Cooked 8 oz of fillets for 2.5-3 min in covered microwave dish with butter, salt and pepper. Flaked up the fish and followed the recipe to a T. For the salad I made a quick vinaigrette with lemon juice, a dash of cumin, EVOO + a dash of sea salt and ground pepper. So good! Thanks, Hank!
I made these tonight substituting a quinoa, buckwheat and millet mix for the rice. They turned out great. A bit more dense than the with the rice, but very tasty. Still the best fish cake recipe out there. Thanks Hank!
Jeff: Add a bit more breadcrumbs and/or another egg.
Hank, we made these last night with catfish, and they tasted great! I had a problem with my cakes staying formed (I did not have time to let them set in the fridge), any additional advice for those making these in a rush to keep them bound?
Love the recipe, looking forward to making this again and again. I know there are plenty of ways to fillet fish, but I thought I would offer up a little quicker way to deal with the y bones.
Take the back strap off the way you demonstrate in the link above, then just fillet out the meat left on the sides, leaving the last bit attached to the tail, flipping them and skinning. Take out the ribcage on each. Lastly feel where the y bones end on the tail side of the fillet and pinch, pulling away from the meat. All the y bones will pull right off in one zipper strip. You’re left with three filets instead of five.
You don’t get to spoon the meat out from between the y’s, but there is very little meat in the zipper and like you mentioned, it can be thrown in for broth. The skinning part is quicker when dealing with two larger slabs anchored to the fish vs. free styling with a couple fillets cut loose.
Love the site, keep up the great work.
Couldn’t you make this with chunked raw fish and let the pieces cook in the patty? Save step?
Hank, is the ½ cup of wild rice the volume before cooking, or after? Love the site, keep up the good work!
Mac: After cooking.
Great recipe there. When as a child we would bring home a bucket of bluegills to my grandmother, she would make fish cakes till we were stuffed!
Excellent, the recipe sounds like it would work with most fish.
No finer fish than pike from northern Canadian waters. White white flesh.
This looks awesome Hank. I always have wild rice compliments of my in-laws in Minnesota. I’ll give this a shot with some steelhead once the creeks here in Erie, Pa aren’t frozen anymore.
could you extend this recipe to other “rough fish” like carp from clean waters, gar or freshwater drum?
Christian: Absolutely! I love, love, LOVE freshwater drum! I miss fishing for them.