Faced with a few cans of wild-caught Atlantic salmon that I bought from Costco a while back – and finding the contents rather uninspiring, unlike the lovely, bright pink canned salmon I remember from my UK childhood, I decided they’d make a decent fishcake – and so they did!

There are more fishcake recipes out there than words in a dictionary so I figured they could be made with just about anything. Luckily, I found sweet potatoes, scallions (spring onions) and fresh ginger in my fridge and apart from buying a packet of Japanese-style panko breadcrumbs to give them a crunchy coating, I used what I already had.

Delicious, nutritious and thrifty, I can’t think of a better way of using something you may find lurking in the back of your cupboard.

Panko-Crusted Sweet Potato & Salmon Fishcakes

PANKO-CRUSTED SWEET POTATO & SALMON FISHCAKES

(makes about 8)

Ingredients:

17-18 oz (500g) of sweet potatoes, mashed with a tablespoon of butter

14 oz (400g) of canned salmon, preferably wild-caught

1 egg, lightly beaten

4 scallions (spring onions) chopped

1 – 1.5 teaspoons of freshly grated ginger

A pinch of cayenne (optional)

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

To coat the fishcakes –

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3 – 4 oz (100g) of panko breadcrumbs

Vegetable oil for frying

Action:

Thoroughly combine the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl and season to taste with sea salt & freshly ground black pepper.

Form the mixture into 8-9 patties and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes or if you’re pushed for time, stick them in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm them up a bit.

When you’re ready to fry the fishcakes, heat the oil in a heavy saute pan until it shimmers.

Dip each fishcake first in the beaten egg, then coat them with the panko breadcrumbs. Fry on both sides for a few minutes or until  they’re golden on the outside and warmed right through.

Serve immediately with lots of fresh lemon or lime to squeeze over.