These tasty gluten free Quinoa Chives Fish Cakes are made with cod and garlicky Chinese chives. They are wonderful as an appetizer, snack, or light meal.
Ro-Taro (eldest son) loves fish cakes. It is almost like a staple for him as I often freeze a whole lot similar to these Pan Fried Salmon Rice Cakes for him to take back to college. I was delighted when he suggested these tasty Quinoa Chives Fish Cakes. I must say it was a fantastic idea! I had not thought of it before and I was eager to give it a try.
Quinoa cakes are tasty little bites. When fried, quinoa turns deliciously nutty. The challenge though is to get it to bind together as quinoa is generally quite fluffy. I used a cooked besan (chickpea flour) mixture as a binder in these Spice Quinoa Corn Patties. This time round, I decided to try with eggs instead.
For some reason, the patties just would not stay together. The first patty disintegrated in the pan. I had to add something or risk turning the entire batch into a stir fry. All was not lost as I quickly whipped up some besan mixture. It was a little moist and the flavor changed ever so slightly but the patties stayed together after that…phew! 🙂 The eggs did give the patties a nice flavor.
Chinese chives are a little more leafy than their western counterpart. They have a distinct garlicky flavor and are often used in egg, dumpling, and noddle dishes. They are usually sold in bunches at the Asian grocery stores as a vegetable and not an herb. Do rinse them in lots of water as they can be a little gritty. I like to trim the ends and remove all bruised leaves before soaking them in a sink full of water. This way they get a thorough washing.
Needless to say, these Quinoa Chives Fish Cakes were very popular at our house. The two boys made short work of them. I had to stash away a few for Ro-Ri San. Stay tuned for an idea from Ro-Jiro (second son) coming up in the near future.
INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS
- Rinse quinoa until water runs clear. Drain and place in a medium sized pan. Add 2 cups (480ml) water. Place on the stove and bring water to a boil. Reduce heat and let quinoa simmer until all water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Turn off heat. Transfer quinoa to a large bowl.
- While quinoa is cooking, fill a medium sized pan with about ½ inch water. Place lemon slices in the pan and bring it to a boil. Add cod, salt, and pepper. Place the lid, reduce heat to medium low and allow fish to poach for 6 to 7 minutes. Remove and drain.
- Flake fish and transfer to bowl with cooked quinoa. Add chives, vegenaise or mayonnaise, eggs, salt, and pepper. Mix all ingredients together.
- In a small saucepan, combine besan and ½ cup (120ml) water. Cook stirring until thick and bubbly, about 2 minutes.
- Remove and pour into quinoa mixture. Mix well.
- When cool enough to handle, shape and compact into patties. Pan fry in a large non-stick fry pan with a little oil for 6 to 7 minutes on each side. Fry in two batches if necessary.
- Serve immediately.
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎
these looks great love the use of quinoa in this recipe
Thanks Rebecca! Quinoa is becoming quite a favorite at our house.
Hi Biren, these fish cakes with quinoa and chives look so delicious! I’ve never tried quinoa before, will try to get some to make this snack.
Thanks Ann! Quinoa has a mild flavor and works like fluffy rice. I hope you get to try it soon.
Hi Biren, I am so excited to try all your quinoa dishes! Is there a substitute for chickpea flour? I haven’t seen that around.
I added the besan because the patties would not stay together. You can put in an additional egg instead. Hopefully the patties will not disintegrate.
Do you think these will freeze well for a make-ahead meal? I’m very busy and looking for recipes that I can freeze and pull out to thaw the night before. These fish cakes look amazing!
Quinoa is very fluffy and the fish cakes may just fall apart when thawed. I think it will still taste good but it may not hold its shape.