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If you’re lucky enough to have leftover cooked fish like cod, halibut, or salmon, fish cakes are a great way to enjoy it! These Cod Fish Cakes are crispy on the outside and tender and flavorful in the center. Fancy enough for date night or a dinner party, but easy enough for a weeknight.
Baked cod fillets are a staple in my kitchen for busy evenings. When I make extra, I know I’ve got the makings of these fish cakes ready to go. What I really appreciate is that you can combine the ingredients the day before you plan to pan fry them. You can even combine the ingredients the day before you plan to pan fry them. The extra time in the refrigerator just melds the flavors and makes the patties easier to form.
“They were so delicious! I followed the instructions exactly and they came out moist and perfectly cooked – even with GF breadcrumbs! My husband and I politely shared the leftovers for breakfast the next morning. It was tough to share 😉 but we managed.”
tracy p.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Cod Fish Cakes
- Panko Breadcrumbs: These create the crispiest exterior. Regular breadcrumbs will work, but the texture won’t be quite the same.
- Cooked Fish: Leftover cod is perfect, but any firm white fish works great. I’ve had good results with salmon too.
- Sour Cream: Full fat gives the best flavor and texture. It’s one place I don’t like to compromise.
- Eggs: Large or extra-large – both work well to bind the ingredients together.
- Celery: The tender, crispy inner ribs add just the right amount of crunch without overpowering.
- Capers: I prefer the tiny non-pareil capers as they distribute more evenly throughout the mixture.
- Green Onion: These add a mild, fresh flavor. Fresh chives are a great alternative.
- Olive Oil: For pan-frying, a good quality olive oil works best. You can also use a neutral oil like avocado oil for a higher smoke point and neutral flavor.
- Fresh Lemon Wedges for serving (optional): A squeeze of lemon brightens up the flavors beautifully.
- Salt and Black Pepper: I like to use kosher salt or fine sea salt here and freshly ground pepper.
7 Tips for Perfect Fish Cakes
The fish cake mixture will look and feel very wet, but don’t worry I have a few tips to ensure that they stay together.
- Use forks to flake your leftover fish into small pieces. Smaller flakes hold together better when forming the cakes.
- Have a clean plate or baking sheet lined with parchment paper ready before you form your fish cakes. This makes transferring them easier.
- Be gentle when forming the cakes and take care to coat all sides thoroughly with panko breadcrumbs before transferring to the prepared sheet or plate.
- When you transfer the fish cakes to the skillet, make sure the oil is hot and that each cake has space all around for even browning.
- Before flipping, press down gently on the top and sides to set their form. Then flip carefully. If a fragment falls off, simply press it back into the cake with your spatula.
- Chilling the formed cakes for 15-30 minutes before cooking can help them hold together even better.
- Remember, even if they’re not perfectly shaped, they’ll still taste delicious!
What goes with fish cakes?
- You can make these cod cakes the main dish along with a simple Arugula Salad, Caesar Salad, or a Delicata Squash Salad with more complex flavors and textures.
- Or with a vegetable side like Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower and steamed rice, Italian Roasted Potatoes, Mashed Red Potatoes or Twice Baked Potatoes.
- Or serve them as appetizers along with spicy, Louisiana-style Remoulade Sauce or French Remoulade Sauce (like tartar sauce, but better) for dipping.
On busy weeknights when I want a light meal that I can put together in a few minutes, I often bake cod fillets (like this Parmesan Baked Cod or Baked Halibut). And I almost always bake extra to make these fish cakes the next day (or the day after).
Cod is such a versatile fish, you can sear it, bake it, grill it, or add it to chowders or curries. And if you end up with leftover cooked fish, this easy fish cake recipe is the perfect way to use them. Leftover halibut or salmon (like this Slow Roasted Salmon) also work well in this recipe.
How to Make Cod Fish Cakes
Flake cooked fish into small pieces in a large bowl. Stir in sour cream, eggs, celery, capers, green onions, salt, and pepper.
Form fish mixture into 8 equal patties and coat each on all sides with panko breadcrumbs.
Heat oil in a large skillet. Fry fish cakes in two batches, until crisp and golden brown on both sides. (Keep first batch warm in a 250˚F oven on a platter while you cook the second batch.) Serve hot with lemon wedges.
Cod Fish Cakes
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 pound cooked cod or other firm white fish like halibut
- 1/4 cup whole milk sour cream
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1 rib celery very finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons chopped capers
- 1 minced green onion or fresh chives
- large pinch of kosher salt
- several grinds black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil for frying, divided
- fresh lemon wedges optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven-safe serving platter in 250˚F oven.
- Set out one large, clean plate or platter and one medium plate. Pour panko breadcrumbs onto medium plate.
- Place cooked fish into a large bowl and flake into small pieces with a fork. Add sour cream, egg, celery, capers, green onion, salt, and pepper; stir to combine. Scoop out 1/8 of the mixture and use your hands to gently pack into a patty. Place on plate with panko crumbs and gently coat all sides with crumbs; transfer to platter. Repeat with remaining mixture.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Place 4 fish cakes in skillet and cook until crumbs are crisp and golden brown, pressing down gently with spatula to compress; about 5 minutes per side (turn gently). Transfer cooked fish cakes to warm platter. Repeat process with remaining oil and fish cakes.
- Serve fish cakes hot with lemon wedges if desired.
Notes
- You can make the fish cake mixture up to one day before you plan to form and pan fry the fish cakes.
- This recipe works well with cod and halibut, but is also great for leftover salmon.
- If you’d like a dipping sauce, I recommend either this spicy, Louisiana-style Remoulade sauce or French Remoulade Sauce, which is closer to tartar sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
They were so delicious! I followed the instructions exactly and they came out moist and perfectly cooked – even with GF breadcrumbs! My husband and I politely shared the leftovers for breakfast the next morning. It was tough to share ๐ but we managed.
What a sweet note, Tracy. I’m so glad that you and your husband enjoyed these!
Great recipe I have made these delicious fish cakes a few times and my husband and I both love them
That’s wonderful to hear, Patsy! Thank you for coming back to let me know.
Have leftover fish just cooked. if i follow the recipe can i then freeze the cakes for next week?
Hi Neil! Yes, absolutely.
so, sorry. I just perused the comments and found my answer to the oven baked vs pan fry.
No worries, Brenda!
I will be trying these cakes. have you ever baked these in the oven versus pan frying?
If not, do you have any suggestions? I’m not sure they would be as crispy as they would be pan fried.
thank you
Great recipe for leftover cooked fish! Delicious, would be good for an easy pre-assembled, main course for a dinner party.
So glad you enjoyed these, JM! And I agree that they make great make-ahead party fare!
Have you ever tried baking these versus frying?
Hi Laura! I haven’t. Honestly I don’t think that baking is a good option for these.
Thoroughly enjoyed by all! We used halibut and a spicy Mayo – yum!
That’s great to hear, Jan!
We live in Alaska and always have an abundant of fresh fish! These fish cakes are excellent with Halibut and Salmon and Crab! I Am from Cape Cod, so always made them with shredded potato, (Cod, lobster or haddock), but your recipe was delicious! Always moist and a light crisp coating. With or without capers, Itโs a keeper! Thanks
That’s wonderful to hear, Pam! Thank you for coming back to let me know.
I have a whole fillet of cod that got overcooked. I dont want to waste it, could this recipe help save it?
I think it’s worth a try, Cali! The moisture and other flavors in this may disguise that the fish is overcooked.
These are so easy and delicious! I may not have had a full pound of fish, so my mixture was gloppy. I added Saltines, ground up in my Bullet, to the mix and then these turned out beautifully!
So glad you enjoyed these, Stephanie! Thank you for coming back to let me know!
I made these today for lunch with a sriracha mayo dipping sauce . I used leftover grilled corvina . They weโre fabulous! I didnโt have sour cream so I substituted plain Greek yogurt but it was a little thin so I added miracle whip mayo. I will definitely make these again!
So glad you enjoyed these, Jane! ๐
We have fish at least a couple of times a week and I never think to make something like this with my leftovers. I’m bookmarking and pinning and doing this next time. Stay well! ๐ ~Valentina
Yay! I hope you love them, Valentina!
These look amazing! Always looking for creative ways to add fish to our life and here it is! Love that golden crunch!! Pinch!
Thanks, Annie!
I may not have had a full pound of fish, so added the panko (actually crushed Saltine crackers) to the fish mix, and that got them to hold up firmly enough to bread and fry them. Delicious!
Fishcakes are one of the (many) things I love about having fish for dinner, saving the rest for making fish cakes. I like that you have got such a beautiful golden crisp on the outside of yours. Have never added capers to mine before, am going to give it a try!
Thanks, Matt! I’m excited for you to try fish cakes with capers – so good!
I really enjoy cod and other white flaky fish! However, I don’t think I’ve ever used it to make cod cakes. This sounds delicious, Marissa!
Thanks, David!