What do the potatoes do in the mackerel cakes?

The recipe uses 1¼ dl of cooked, cold potatoes that are ground together with 1 kg mackerel flesh and salt. The potatoes make the forcemeat go further and milder, and together with 1 tablespoon of potato starch they bind the cakes.

How do I get a smooth forcemeat?

The fish is cleaned, washed, dried, and scraped free of skin and bones, and ground twice together with the salt and the cooked, cold potatoes. Then potato starch and pepper are stirred in, and 2 dl milk is added little by little.

How are the cakes fried and served?

Shape round cakes, flour them or coat them in egg and breadcrumbs, and fry in fat or butter. Serve with finely cut onion browned in butter poured over the fish.

Where does the recipe come from?

From Henriette Schønberg Erken's «Stor kokebok» (1914), page 99. It serves 4 and takes around 50 minutes in total.

Mackerel Cakes

Name: Mackerel Cakes
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients: 1 kg mackerel flesh (cleaned of skin and bones); 1.25 dl cooked, cold potatoes; 2 dl milk; 1 tbsp potato starch; 1 tbsp salt; 0.5 tsp pepper (to taste); 1 pcs onion (finely cut, for the butter-onion); 2 tbsp wheat flour or breadcrumbs (for coating); 50 g butter or fat (for frying)

Fish cakes of ground mackerel flesh stretched with cooked potatoes, potato starch, milk, salt, and pepper; shaped, coated, and fried in butter, served with onion browned in butter.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 99 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

A thrifty everyday dish from the fish chapter, where cooked potatoes stretch the mackerel forcemeat. Erken has the forcemeat ground twice to make it fine.

How to make it

1
Prepare the fish
Clean, wash, and dry the mackerel. Scrape the flesh from the skin and bones.
2
Grind the forcemeat
Grind the fish flesh together with the salt and the cooked, cold potatoes twice, so the forcemeat becomes fine.
3
Stir the forcemeat
Stir in the potato starch and pepper to taste, and add the milk little by little.
4
Shape and fry
Shape round cakes. Coat them in flour, or in egg and breadcrumbs, and fry them golden brown in butter or fat, about 4–5 minutes on each side.
5
Butter-fried onion
Brown finely cut onion in butter and pour it over the cakes as they are served.

Changes from the original

Measurements converted to modern units; a meat grinder replaces «ground». «Kavring» kept as breadcrumbs. The amount of onion is specified (not given in the original). The frying time has been specified.

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Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From1914 1949 Modernised

To1914 1949 Modernised

Modernised → 1949 (proofread, p. 119)~85% of the text changedremovedadded

~~1 kg makrellkjøtt (renset for skinn og ben). 1,25 dl kokte, kalde poteter.~~ V 2 ~~dl melk. 1~~ kg. makrellkjøtt 200 gr. kokte poteter i del. melk 1/2 spiseskje ~~potetmel. 1~~ potetesmel y 2 spiseskje ~~salt. 0,5~~ salt V 2 teskje pepper ~~(etter smak). 1 stk løk (finskåret, til smørløk). 2 spiseskjeer hvetemel eller kavringsmuler (til panering). 50 g smør eller fett (til steking). Rens, vask~~ løk. Fisken renses, vaskes, tørres og ~~tørk makrellen. Skrap kjøttet~~ skrapes fra skinn og ~~ben.. Kvern fiskekjøttet~~ ben, males sammen med ~~salt og~~ saltet 1 gang, derefter med de kokte, ~~kalde potetene~~ kolde poteter to ~~ganger, så farsen blir fin.. Rør inn potetmel~~ ganger. Potesmel og pepper ~~etter smak,~~ efter smak røres i, og ~~tilsett~~ melken tilsettes litt ~~etter litt.. Form~~ efter litt. Dannes til runde ~~kaker. Vend dem i mel, eventuelt i egg og kavringsmuler,~~ kaker, som meles og ~~stek dem gyllenbrune~~ stekes i ~~smør~~ fett eller ~~fett, ca. 4–5 minutter på hver side.. Brun finskåret~~ smør. Finskåren løk brunes i ~~smør og hell den~~ smør, som helles over ~~kakene~~ fisken, idet de den serveres.

Note on Modernised

Mål omregnet til moderne enheter; kjøttkvern erstatter «males». «Kavring» beholdt som griljermel/kavringsmuler. Mengde løk angitt (ikke oppgitt i originalen). Steketid presisert.

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Frequently asked questions

What do the potatoes do in the mackerel cakes?: The recipe uses 1¼ dl of cooked, cold potatoes that are ground together with 1 kg mackerel flesh and salt. The potatoes make the forcemeat go further and milder, and together with 1 tablespoon of potato starch they bind the cakes.
How do I get a smooth forcemeat?: The fish is cleaned, washed, dried, and scraped free of skin and bones, and ground twice together with the salt and the cooked, cold potatoes. Then potato starch and pepper are stirred in, and 2 dl milk is added little by little.
How are the cakes fried and served?: Shape round cakes, flour them or coat them in egg and breadcrumbs, and fry in fat or butter. Serve with finely cut onion browned in butter poured over the fish.
Where does the recipe come from?: From Henriette Schønberg Erken's «Stor kokebok» (1914), page 99. It serves 4 and takes around 50 minutes in total.

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