(Serves 2)

200 g cooked flaked fish
200 g dry mashed potatoes
Finely chopped parsley or chives
Gozo sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne – optional
Fine dry breadcrumbs, sesame seeds or flour for coating

Mix the fish and mashed potatoes with chopped herbs, and, if you like, a little finely chopped shallot or spring onion.

Shape into flat cakes, coat in the breadcrumbs, seeds or flour, and refrigerate until required. Fry in a little extra virgin olive oil for best results, or a more neutral sunflower or groundnut oil.

For fish cakes, it is best to mash the potatoes without oil or milk; otherwise, the mixture is too soft to hold together.

Serve the fish cakes with an egg sauce, chopping hard-boiled eggs into a butter sauce, homemade tomato sauce, or something more exotic like mango chutney, into which you have stirred some chopped fresh mint.