“If kingfish is the king of fish(es), then this dish is the king of fishcakes,” says Felicity Morgan-Rhind, chief cook and recipe writer of Ironclad Pan Company, the people who make cast-iron cookware for life. 

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“This is the first time I’ve had the joy of cooking kingfish without experiencing the even more joyful act of catching it,” says the keen fisher, “and I wanted to honour this gift from the sea in a very special way.” The result is succulent kingfish encased in a golden crunchy crust, topped with a very tasty mayo and served with juicy roasted vege salad. 

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Monster kingfish cake with saffron sesame mayo and roasted vege salad

Kingfish cake

3 garlic cloves

1½ lemons: juice and zest

Handful coriander leaves

½ tsp salt

1 large egg

Fresh chilli, to taste

600g kingfish fillet or firm-fleshed fish chopped into chunks

The crust

2 Tbsp flour

1 large egg, beaten 

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

4 Tbsp olive oil 

To serve 

2 fresh whole radishes, finely sliced

Saffron mayo

¾ cup quality mayonnaise

½ tsp saffron threads

2 Tbsp sesame oil 

Roast vege salad

12 radishes

2 medium golden beets

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp coconut sugar
3 star anise

½ cup red sauerkraut

250g green cherry tomatoes, halved

2 Tbsp balsamic glaze, optional

salt and pepper, to taste

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What to do: the cake

1. In a food processor, whiz all ingredients except fish. Add fish and pulse until just combined — there should be small chunks of fish. 

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2. Line a dinner plate with baking paper, dump fish mix into middle and form into an evenly round cake – about 2cm thick and smaller than the inside of a large cast-iron frying pan.

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3. Evenly sprinkle top and sides with 1 Tbsp of flour, rub in. With a pastry brush, brush half the egg over the flour. Gently press half the breadcrumbs into the cake. 

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4. Place a sheet of baking paper on top of fish cake, and another dinner plate on top. Flip over, then repeat the flour, egg and breadcrumb process. Refrigerate to chill while you make the roast veg salad and mayonnaise. 

Saffron mayo 

5. In a cup, pour 1 Tbsp of boiling water over the saffron threads and leave to infuse for 5 minutes. Strain off water, add saffron to mayo and sesame oil and mix well.

Roast vege salad

6. Leaving tails and tops attached, halve radishes lengthwise. Chop beet into chips. Massage oil, vinegar, sugar and seasoning into veges and roast with star anise for 20 minutes at 200°C. 

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7. Remove from oven and gently mix in sauerkraut and halved cherry tomatoes. Check seasoning. Would a squirt of balsamic glaze make it even tastier? Serve hot, warm or cold. Delicious every which way. 

The fry-up

8. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil over a medium heat until shimmery but not smoky. Reduce heat a little. 

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9. Pick the fish cake up in the baking paper, dust of any excess breadcrumbs and carefully tip/slide into the pan. Fry for 3-4 minutes or until the bottom is brown and crunchy. 

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10. Add 2 more Tbsp of oil to the outside of the pan and using two fish slices, carefully flip the cake over and fry for another 3-4 minutes until brown and crunchy. Don’t overcook as the cake will continue to cook when you take it off the heat. 

To serve 

11. Arrange sliced radishes on top of cake in a petal shape. Start on the outside, work into the middle. 

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12. Pipe mayo onto fish cake and sprinkle with herbs of your choice. Serve with extra mayo, roast vege salad and a crisp white vino.

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Ironclad Pan Company
ironcladpan.com
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