Newfoundland-inspired Fish Cakes

I get an amazing amount of traffic looking for a Newfoundland Dressing recipe. Likewise, I've posted about another favorite of ours: Newfoundland Peas Pudding, and the Jiggs Dinner altogether. As a Saskatchewan gal with a farming background, I would never claim to do the food justice--but none of the Newfoundlanders who are "up away" and have eaten here have ever complained ;)

I'm on a mission to use up food that is languishing in our freezer and pantry. In my weekly plan I had intended to do homemade fish and chips--but on reflection the cheap store-bought cod fillets were just too wimpy to hold up to batter and frying. I wanted fish cakes, but nothing too fussy. The kids have been getting up at 5 am lately and I'm feeling the February blahs creeping in.

The kids love to help cut the potatoes with the fry maker I got for Christmas. So that part was easy. I cooked the fries with just a bit of oil in our actifry (last year's Christmas gift). I had made extra dressing a few weeks ago and froze it in a sandwich bag and happened to have leftover gravy from our roast beef supper the other night.

I had a basic idea of how I wanted to make the fish cakes, but googled some recipes for inspiration. I was really glad to come across a cooking site that I had never seen, and I'm happy to pass it on here. I am sure I will use RockRecipes.com often when looking for new recipes. I didn't follow the recipe, exactly, but rather took my inspiration and ran with it.

I basically steamed the fillets in just a bit of butter and their own juices, then sauted finely chopped onions in the same pan. After they had cooled slightly I flaked them apart gently with a fork and added the onion, an egg, about a Tbsp of store-bought tartar sauce, and about a Tbsp lemon juice. The secret ingredient that I had never thought to add before (which I found on RockRecipes) is mashed and cooled potatoes. I happened to have just the right amount leftover in the fridge, and the result was a very nice flakey fish cake. I rolled them in panko before frying them in a Tbsp butter and Tbsp canola oil. I made my own tartar sauce and a salad to accompany the meal. All in all, I used up some odds and ends in the fridge and freezer and made a quick tasty meal that we will definitely try again. Most importantly, I found a website to add to my favorites where I can learn more about Newfoundland culture and food. Do you like to find new recipes to use up leftovers?

Company's Coming

We are having house guests in July. The first group: my friend's three sons (GULP!). The second: Husband's parents are coming from Newfoundland!

There is much to do.

In order to give three rambunctious boys some space and privacy, I want our basement as ready as possible before they get here. That space will also give the in-laws some privacy, so we might as well do as much as we can (for as cheap as possible) ASAP. Of course Husband is away working so I need to get busy while the weather is wet and I can't be outside. Here is a list to keep me motivated:

• doors for basement (bedroom, storage area, furnace room and bathroom)
• trim for around windows and doors, paint and install
• baseboards for entire basement, paint and install
• purchase a bed for basement bedroom (actually, a new bed for us. We will put the old one downstairs)
• return the too-small curtain rod and exchange for a new one
• hang curtains in basement bedroom, outfit the bed with sheets etc
• finish installing waterlines on fixtures in basement bathroom
• get floor mat and new towels for bathroom, possibly a shelf
• possibly set up a tv in rumpus area
• sand and stain stairs to basement and all stair railings
• hang some of our tin signs, art work and pictures down there

 A terrible picture of the sink we put in downstairs. I really like it though, especially since I got it for $100 on kijiji (still new in the box). We painted the bathroom a dark charcoal because I had leftovers from painting some old furniture.

I hung (hanged?) this wallpaper in the basement bathroom yesterday. It is a bold choice for me. I'm glad it is in the basement. 

Once we get a door and trim I will try for nicer pictures. But I'm down to taking pictures with my phone and emailing them to myself, blah blah blah. My old laptop won't take a memory card anymore and we had a 2 year fall down on the "good" laptop which was also 8 years old and had a virus. If I ever disappear from this blog completely you will know that we finally succumbed to obsolescence.

There is also a growing list of what I want to finish outside before the in-laws visit from across the country. That is for another post, however, since it has been wet and cold lately and I need to motivate myself to finish these indoor jobs ASAP. With that in mind, I better get crackin'!

Peas Pudding, a Newfoundland Favorite

Many in Newfoundland call their Sunday Dinner "Jiggs Dinner". I've never found out if I spell it right, but no one has corrected me :)

I get a surprising number of readers that are looking for a traditional Newfoundland dressing recipe so I thought that those searching for a recipe from "back home" might be making a full jiggs. There are probably many variations out there, but I follow what the mother-in-law does and get no complaints around here ;)

A Newfoundland Sunday Dinner is usually comprised of salt meat, boiled with split yellow peas in a bag, turnip, cabbage, carrot and potato. We always have ours with either a roast turkey stuffed with dressing, or a roast chicken with the dressing baked separately. A turkey is really too much if it is just us, so I do a chicken to avoid wasting (or eating leftovers for a week!)

The first thing I do is soak the salt meat (I do this the morning of the big meal). This is a matter of preference (and NOTE: this meal is definitely not part of a low-sodium diet!) Those that prefer the salt might not rinse (too salty for me) and those wishing to reduce salt content would change the water completely as many times as they like. Personally, I do one rinse. It is a salty meal but one that we don't have often.

This picture is from last year in my old house.
I intended to do this post back then
 and am only finally writing it now!

While the meat soaks I prepare the yellow split peas by sorting them and looking for any stones or lentils that don't belong.

I have a peas pudding bag that I purchased at Sobey's last year. I have also made my own bags from a clean pillow case. If you make your own bag you must be sure that tiny threads do not make their way into your peas, or into the boiling pot of meat. I did several passes with my sewing machine on a straight stitch and also a zig zag stitch and clipped the material very close to avoid bits of material coming off.

I put about 1 cup of yellow split peas into the bag and tie the bag shut with kitchen string, leaving 1 or 2 inches room for the peas to expand/fill with water. If they are packed in too tight they take longer to cook and may not get enough water circulating to soften entirely (a mistake that I have made). As well, you must tie the bag to the handle of your stock pot so that it does not scorch (also a mistake that I have made). Make sure that the bag is off the bottom of the pan (see below) but is low enough in the pot to be submerged in the boiling water.

I put the salt meat in the pot with fresh water and set it to boiling with the peas. I try to have it boil 4 hours but have gotten away with less. You must continually top-up the water level so that the peas are submerged, and I give it a little stir initially to check that the meat didn't stick down (you guessed it, I've done that too!).

The meat and peas will boil approximately 3 hours before adding vegetables to the stock pot. I add turnip first (cut into chunks about 2" x 3"). I then let the water return to a boil for 15-20 minutes before adding the cabbage (cut into quarters, core intact to hold it together). I add carrots, cut in half, after the water has returned to a boil for 15 minutes. If I am boiling the potatoes in the same pot I add them at the same time, but quite often I boil them separately and just turn that pot on at the same time. Generally, I begin adding vegetables about an hour and a half before I plan to eat.

Once the boiling is complete, remove vegetables into a serving bowl. To prepare the peas pudding for the table, I cut the string tying the bag to the pot and carefully snip the string that has kept the bag shut. I later rinse the bag for reuse, so I'm careful not to put a hole in the bag when I snip the string. Dump the bag into a dish and mash any peas that aren't already mushy. I whip them up with a fork, adding approximately one tablespoon of butter per cup of peas pudding.

This picture taken with my phone does not do peas pudding any justice. It is a thick, creamy pudding (think split pea soup) seasoned with the salt and flavor of the beef over several hours of boiling. We love it and I hope you give it a try!

Friday Favorite: Newfoundland Dressing

The Husband is from Newfoundland, a place with unique culture, language, and food. For the most part, the people are extremely laid back, friendly, with a great sense of humour. Of course this has been my own experience, but I've never heard anyone say different. It's a wonderful place to visit, and all of this is before you check out the scenery.



Cape Spear: most easterly point in North America



Cape Spear 2007



Fort Amherst, viewed from Signal Hill



Aside from wonderful people and rugged, historical scenery, you haven't experienced Newfoundland until you've tried an authentic Jigs Dinner. This is a traditional Sunday dinner of salt beef boiled with turnip, cabbage, carrot, potato, greens, and peas pudding (yellow lentils). Quite often this feast is accompanied by a turkey and Newfoundland dressing, with gravy. Don't think about your diet, or your heart, and enjoy.

I would be remiss if I didn't include a picture of a lobster
 when talking about Newfoundland cuisine!



Cod, fries, dressing and gravy.
If I had known anyone would ever see this picture I wouldn't have
 added that dark piece of cod!



We love dressing. I make it with pickerel or jack fish, and for our regular holiday meals it has replaced stuffing. This is a big deal for me to admit, as stuffing was always my favourite part of the meal.

To make (4 servings):

 grate fresh bread with cheese grater, approx 3 cups*

melted margarine or butter, just to moisten bread crumbs

1/3 cup of onion, finely chopped

2 Tbsp savoury (we use Mont Scio, available in Newfoundland and Sobey's in western Canada) I hope to grow my own savoury next year.

*do not use dry breadcrumbs. Must use fresh bread! I save my crusts or any dry bread that would otherwise get composted or thrown out.



so easy a three year old can do it!



This is a very approximate recipe and, much like stuffing, anyone who makes it themselves will give you a different one. Our friend often adds cranberries and I've never had dressing that I didn't love. I'm leaving you with one last image, called "Kelly's Arse", found on the rear side of Kelly's Island, in Conception Bay South, Newfoundland.

Have you travelled to (or are you from) Newfoundland? Or, have you replaced a family recipe with one you've picked up travelling? Please share!