Dinner Tonight: Creamy texture adds dash of soul to sole fish cakes

Unlike crab cakes, which taste best when you limit the cracker or bread filler, these fish cakes benefit from such additions to add texture. My fish cakes also always include diced onion, green pepper and celery.

Then I flavor the plump little cakes with other appropriate ingredients (often leftovers) from my refrigerator and pantry. Leftover mashed potatoes add a creamy texture to cakes I made recently from coarsely chopped sole fillets.

Alternate methods for this recipe are to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of the fish, or to experiment with fresh herbs to vary the flavor.

• SPICY FISH CAKES

Preparation time: 12 minutes

Cooking time: 8 minutes

Yield: Four servings

1 rib celery, coarsely chopped

1⁄2 each, coarsely chopped: onion, green pepper

3 sole fillets, about 5 ounces each, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon each: coarse salt, freshly ground pepper

1⁄2 teaspoon each: dry mustard, red pepper flakes, dried thyme, seafood seasoning such as Old Bay

1 egg, beaten

1 cup leftover mashed potatoes, optional

3⁄4 cup dry bread crumbs or cracker crumbs

2 cups vegetable oil

Asian chili sauce or tartar sauce

Procedure

1. Place the celery, onion and green pepper in a food processor; pulse to finely chop. Add the fillets; pulse to coarsely chop. Stir in the salt, pepper, dry mustard, red pepper flakes, thyme and seafood seasoning; pulse two to three times until mixed. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in the egg, stirring lightly until combined. Fold in the mashed potatoes. Form into eight patties; lightly coat with bread crumbs. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the fish cakes. Cook, in batches if needed, until lightly browned on one side, about four minutes. Turn; cook until browned and cakes are cooked through, about four minutes. Serve with Asian chili paste or tartar sauce.