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Ingredients

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• 250g floury potatoes, such as King Edwards, peeled & cut into large chunks
• 500g cooked, boneless pike
• 1 tbsp each chopped coriander, de-seeded red chilli, mint, finely shredded lemon grass, lime zest
• 1 egg white, whisked
• A little flour for dusting
• Ground nut oil for shallow frying
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper

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Be aware of the bones in pike – there’s a trident shaped bone running down the length of the fin, very fiddly to navigate. FOOD ON FRIDAY’S TOP TIP – poach the whole fish the day before you’re going to eat it. Poach it in water & white wine with chopped carrot, celery, onion & 6 white peppercorns. Brilliant if you have a salmon kettle – just the job. Bring the stock & vegetables to a simmer, lay the pike on the kettles trivet & gently lower it into the stock, making sure the fish is covered by the liquid. The liquid should be on the gentlest possible simmer.

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Poach a 2.5-3kg whole cleaned (gutted) pike for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, leave it in the stock until the liquor has cooled. Lift the trivet & the pike out, leave it to completely cool. Remove the skin & carefully flake off the meat.

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Method

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Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender, then drain & leave to steam dry for 10 minutes. Mash them & leave to cool.

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Put the flaked pike in a bowl with the herbs & season.

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Fold the whisked egg whites into the potatoes. Combine the potato & pike mixtures. Leave this mixture in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up.

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With lightly floured hands, shape the mixture into little cakes.

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Heat a thin layer of oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the cakes in batches, for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown.

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Serve with a squeeze of lime juice & a little accompanying oriental slaw of shredded carrots, greens & Chinese radish.

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• 75g icing sugar
• 50g plain flour
• 5 large egg whites
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• Pinch salt
• ¼ tsp almond essence
• 175g caster sugar

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Method

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Sift the icing sugar & place in a small bowl. Stir in the plain flour until evenly mixed.

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Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, vanilla essence, salt & almond essence into a large bowl & whisk with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.

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Whisk in the caster sugar a little at a time & continue whisking until smooth & glossy & stiff peaks form again.

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Gradually add flour & sugar mixture, folding in lightly with a metal spoon until fully combined.

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Pour into an ungreased ring tin & cut through the mixture with a knife to break any air bubbles.

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Bake at 190°C for about 45 minutes, until the top springs back when you touch it lightly with your finger.

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To cool, invert the tin on to a wire rack. When fully cold, loosen with a knife & turn out.