Balls of steel

When I was younger, my dad was always in charge of making fish cutlets for family parties. Come saturday morning, my dad and I would be in the kitchen and I would watch and act as sous chef to these little bundles of joy being made. 

I would always hope some cutlets would get damaged in the making, as I knew these would be naturally left aside in the cull and eventually eaten by me. It definitely paid off to the sous chef in that kitchen!

Growing up, fish cutlets became synonymous with parties and special occasions, however, as I soon realised that these consisted of very basic ingredients which mostly occupied my store-cupboard, I thought why wait til a special occasion to enjoy these balls of steel?

Fish cutlets are comprised of mashed potatoes (potatoes such as King Edwards work a treat as they soften quickly, are generally large in size so they can be pealed easily, and have a smooth texture), onions, chillies and of course, fish. I have used tuna as this is always in my store cupboard, but salty fishes, such as mackerel are ideal- just make sure whatever fish you are using has been properly cleaned of skin, bones and blood. A great little tip to spice and awaken those flavours is to fry off the onion, chillies and tuna. Add to this a spoonful of coriander powder, chilli powder, cumin seeds, green peppers, soya sauce and coriander stems, and you will have a fantastic fish mix. The soya sauce is really a key ingredient, as it  will give your fish a subtle smokey flavour, and this will contrast fantastically with the soft, velvety mashed potato.  

Once all of these have been mixed up, make yourselves some balls and double coat them in eggs and breadcrumbs. I know that this extra step might feel like a pain, but trust me, when it comes to eating, the additional layer will give you that 'bite' that is a must have in all cutlets! Deep fry in some fresh, hot oil and eat as soon as possible.

Simply delicious.