Name: Cod Fish Cakes with Lemon Caper Aioli
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 100 min
Ingredients: 1.5 lb 680 g fresh cod fillets; 2 medium (about 1 lb / 450 g Yukon Gold potatoes); ⅔ cup 160 ml milk; ¾ cup 180 ml water; 3 scallions (thinly sliced); 1 garlic clove (minced); 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped); 2 tablespoons fresh dill (chopped); 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (chopped if large); 1 hot pepper such as habanero (finely diced (optional)); 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 1 teaspoon sea salt; Freshly ground black pepper; ½ cup 65 g all-purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper; 2 eggs; 2¼ cups about 240 g breadcrumbs; 2 cups 480 ml light olive oil, for frying; ½ cup 120 ml mayonnaise; 1 tablespoon capers (chopped); 1½ tablespoons lemon juice (plus zest of ½ lemon); 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar; 2 garlic cloves (minced); Pinch of sea salt (optional)

These cod fish cakes are crispy and golden outside, soft and flaky inside, and full of fresh herbs. Flaky cod is poached in milk, folded into mashed potatoes with scallions, dill, and parsley, then breaded and pan-fried. On the side goes a quick lemon caper aioli that’s tangy, salty, and bright.

I make my codfish cakes with potato as the binder instead of breadcrumbs or flour, and I don’t add egg to the mix. The egg and breadcrumbs go on the outside only, for the crust. That keeps the inside light and lets the cod taste like cod.

Serve them as a meze with drinks, or as a main with a big green salad. Either way, make the aioli. It’s what makes these cod cakes.

Golden codfish cakes on a white plate with lemon caper aioli, one cut in half

Overview

Why you’ll love these cod cakes

Mostly fish and potato. No filler inside, so they’re tender, not bready.
Make-ahead friendly. Shape them in the morning, fry them at dinner.
Adjustable heat. Add a chopped hot pepper for a kick, or leave it out.
Two recipes in one. The lemon caper aioli is just as good with fish and chips, fried calamari, or roasted potatoes.

Ingredients

Fresh cod fillets
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Milk
A hot pepper like habanero, red chile, or jalapeño (optional)
Garlic clove
Fresh thyme leaves
Fresh parsley
Fresh dill
Scallions
Red pepper flakes
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Eggs
Flour
Breadcrumbs
Light olive oil for frying

For the lemon caper aioli

Mayonnaise
Capers
Lemon juice
Dijon mustard
White wine vinegar
Garlic

What fish to use: Cod is classic, but any flaky white fish works: haddock, pollock, or hake. You can also use leftover cooked fish and skip the poaching.

Step by step

Cubed Yukon Gold potatoes boiling in a saucepan

STEP 1. Boil the potatoes. Scrub the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Cover with cold salted water, bring to a boil, and cook until fork-tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well and let them steam-dry in the colander for a few minutes. Dry potatoes mean firmer cakes. Mash in a large bowl.

STEP 2. Poach the cod. Place the fillets in a saucepan, pour in the milk and water, and bring to a gentle simmer. Poach for about 5 minutes, until the fish is opaque and flakes easily (145°F / 63°C). Lift it out, let it cool, then flake it into pieces with your fingers, checking for any

Cod fish cake mixture mixed together in a bowl

STEP 3. Mix. Add the flaked fish to the potatoes along with the scallions, garlic, parsley, dill, thyme, hot pepper, red pepper flakes, salt, and plenty of black pepper. Mix well.

Shaping the cod mixture into a fish cake by hand

STEP 4. Shape. Scoop the mixture with a ⅓-cup measure and shape it into patties. You’ll get about 16. A large ice cream scoop works well for even fish cakes.

Shaped cod cakes on a plate, ready to chill

STEP 5. Chill. Arrange on a baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes so they firm up and hold together in the pan. Make the aioli now.

STEP 6. Bread. Set up three bowls: seasoned flour, beaten eggs, breadcrumbs. Dip each patty in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing so the crumbs stick.

Cod fish cakes frying in olive oil in a skillet

STEP 7. Fry. Heat the oil in a large skillet to 350°F / 175°C. Fry the cakes 2 or 3 at a time, about 2 minutes per side, until deep golden and hot in the center (165°F / 74°C). If the centers aren’t hot yet, finish them on a baking sheet in a 375°F oven for 5 minutes. Drain on a wire rack or paper towels.

Freshly fried codfish cakes on parchment, ready to serve with lemon caper aioli

Serve right away with the lemon caper aioli.

How to make lemon caper aioli

This is a quick mayonnaise-based aioli, the kind most of us make at home. There’s no emulsifying from scratch. Stir together mayonnaise, chopped capers, lemon juice and zest, Dijon mustard, a splash of white wine vinegar, and minced garlic. Taste, add a pinch of salt only if needed (the capers are salty), and chill until serving.

It keeps for up to 4 days in the fridge. Try it with crispy fried calamari, or Greek fries.

Plate of cod fish cakes with a jar of lemon caper aioli

Are fish cakes Greek?

Fish cakes as we know them in the US are more of a British and New England thing. These are my Greek take, with lots of fresh herbs, a little heat, and a lemony sauce. But Greeks have long fried fish this way.

In island tavernas you’ll find psarokeftedes, little fish patties served as meze. And on March 25 (Greek Independence Day and the Annunciation) and on Palm Sunday, Greek families eat bakaliaros skordalia: salt cod fried crisp and served with garlicky potato skordalia. It’s one of the few days in Lent when fish is allowed.

Can you make them with salt cod?

Yes. Salt cod (bakaliaros) makes wonderfully savory fish cakes. Soak it in cold water in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours, changing the water several times, until it no longer tastes very salty. Then poach and flake it exactly as in the recipe. Taste the mixture before adding any salt, because you may not need it.

What to serve with cod fish cakes

Serve them as a main with a green salad or horta, or family-style with other meze like baked feta with honey and thyme, tomato corn fritters, and gigantes plaki. For a seafood spread, add shrimp orzo or shrimp saganaki.

Pro tips

Dry potatoes, firm cakes. Let the boiled potatoes steam-dry before mashing, and don’t skip the chill. Those two steps keep the cakes from falling apart in the pan.
You can use the hot pepper of your choice. Check this guide to hot peppers for reference.
I recommend handling the peppers with plastic gloves to avoid hot pepper burn. If it happens (I have been there!), this is how to soothe hot pepper burn.
If you are not a fan of chili pepper, omit it from the recipe completely. Add some freshly ground pepper instead.
You can substitute the light olive oil with sunflower oil, canola, or any vegetable oil you have handy.
For a twist on this recipe, add a tablespoon of chopped capers in the cod fish-potato mix instead of the aioli.
Use your leftover mashed potatoes in a pinch. Making homemade codfish cakes is a great way to use them!

Storage and make-ahead

Make ahead: Shape and bread the cakes, then refrigerate, covered, for up to 1 day before frying.
Leftovers: Refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking, in an airtight container, for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in a 375°F oven for about 10 minutes, until hot (165°F / 74°C). The oven keeps them crisp; the microwave makes them soft.
Freeze: Freeze the breaded, uncooked cakes on a tray until firm, then bag them for up to 3 months. Fry from frozen over slightly lower heat, adding a couple of minutes per side, until hot in the center.

FAQ

Cod is the classic choice because it’s mild and flakes into large, tender pieces. Haddock, pollock, and hake all work the same way, and leftover cooked fish is perfect.

Usually the potatoes are too wet or the cakes weren’t chilled. Steam-dry the potatoes before mashing, chill the shaped cakes for at least 30 minutes, and fry only 2 or 3 at a time so the oil stays hot.

Tartar sauce is mayonnaise with pickles or relish. This lemon caper aioli is mayonnaise with garlic, lemon, capers, and Dijon, so it’s brighter and more garlicky.

Not here. Mashed potato binds the fish on its own. The egg is used only in the breading, to help the crumbs stick.