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1
Peel and roughly chop the potatoes, put them into a pan of salted water and bring to the boil.
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2
Cook until tender and then mash into a bowl.
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3
Put the fish, with the smoked fish underneath, into a large skillet with the milk, parsley stalks and a good grinding of pepper.
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4
Bring the pan to a simmer and cook for about 58 minutes, turning if necessary.
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5
Take the cooked fish out of the pan, flake it into a bowl and add the chopped parsley.
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6
Finely chop the hard-boiled eggs and add them with the mustard, lemon zest and juice.
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7
Turn the flaked fish mixture into the mashed potato and mix very thoroughly.
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8
If youre making these ahead, wait till contents of both bowls are cold before combining.
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9
Check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed.
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10
Crush the Ritz crackers which is very satisfying: put them in a freezer bag, bashing and rolling them with a rolling pin until they are crumbs.
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11
Line the bottom of a tray or shallow roasting pan with these crumbs.
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12
Shape the fish and potato mixture into 10 fishcakes, each weighing approximately 10oz (4 inches across by an inch thick).
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13
As you make each fat patty, press them into the Ritz cracker crumbs on both sides to get a good coating and leave them in the tray or pan.
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14
I think theyre better not refrigerated but if you are making them a lot in advance, it would, of course, be better to sit them in the fridge.
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15
When you are ready to cook them, preheat the oven to 400F.
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16
Put the fishcakes on to a baking sheet, shaking off the excess Ritz crumbs but leaving a visible coating around each fishcake.
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17
Cook them for about 20 minutes or until they are heated through.
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18
If they are in the oven for too much longer they will crack a little, but no other harm comes to them, so dont worry too much if people take a long time to make it to the table to eat.
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19
Makes 10 fishcakes: these are so large no one is likely to need seconds, but its good to know you can provide more if required.
