- 350g/12oz smoked, undyed haddock fillets
- 225g/8oz salmon
- milk, for poaching the haddock (seasoned with ½ onion, 1 sliced carrot, 1 bay leaf, 4 peppercorns and 2 cloves)
- 350g/12oz dry mashed potatoes
- 115g/4oz melted butter
- 2 small onions, finely diced and sweated in butter
- 3 tsp anchovy essence
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- 3 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp chopped dill
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- flour, for coating
- egg, beaten, for dipping
- breadcrumbs from white or brown bread
- 85g/3oz butter, for frying
- 15g/1oz unsalted butter
- 450g/1lb spinach, washed
- 475ml/¾ pint fish stock
- handful of sorrel, washed and wilted in butter and finely chopped, following instructions for spinach
- 150ml/¼ pint cream
- Cook the haddock and salmon in seasoned milk (onion, carrot, bay leaf, peppercorns and two cloves) until cooked.
- Remove from the milk and, when cool enough to handle, flake the fish, discarding any skin or bone. Combine the haddock with the potato, butter, onions and anchovy essence in a mixer with a dough hook, then fold in the salmon, eggs, parsley and dill by hand until well combined (do not overmix).
- Season to taste. If the mixture is too dry at this point add some of the haddock poaching milk.
- Divide the mixture into four equal amounts. Dip in the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs and shape into patties. Refrigerate for two hours before use. Pan-fry in butter for five minutes each side, then keep warm in the oven.
- Melt the 15g/1oz unsalted butter in a shallow pan. Once the butter is hot and foaming add the spinach and gently heat until the leaves have wilted. Remove from the heat and roughly chop the leaves.
- To make the sorrel sauce, heat the fish stock until it has reduced by half, add the cooked sorrel and cream and gently heat until warmed through. Serve the fishcake on a bed of spinach and pour the sorrel sauce over the top.