Recipe for fishcakes from Sjefietshe restaurant in Amsterdam

The ever-delicious and convivial Sjefietshe in Amsterdam has created a cookbook. Naturally, it includes the restaurant’s greatest hits to make at home. How about these delicious fishcakes? 

When Seger Abels and Rick Swinkels (with Bas Lammersen and Jordy Wentink) started Sjefietshe, ceviche was not yet as well known as it is today. ‘What? Sje-fiets-he?’ people often asked. And so the name of the place was born: ceviche, Amsterdam style. Literally.

What started as a pop-up restaurant grew into Amsterdam’s first real cevicheria. After a successful start, Sjefietshe was rewarded with a 9- in Het Parool and was consistently fully booked. In their fun cookbook, the gentlemen reveal all the secrets of their restaurant and, of course, share their signature recipes.

How to make fishcakes

• For the choux pastry, heat the milk with the butter and bring it just to the boil. Then add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until a ball of dough forms; cook it thoroughly for about 2 minutes.
• Place the dough ball in the food processor with a dough hook and add the 2 eggs while it is running, until all the egg has been incorporated. Important: the dough must be added to the food processor while warm. Set aside.
• For the prawn farce, blend all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Mix this with the choux pastry in a mixing bowl.
• For the fishcakes, cook the potato cubes until just tender, press them through a fine sieve while still warm and let them steam dry. This is the ‘mashed potato’. Add the mash, cheddar, crispy corn and coriander to the choux pastry and mix everything well by hand.
• Place the mixture in a large piping bag. Pipe rounds approximately 4 centimetres in diameter onto the baking sheet and flatten them slightly with the back of a wet spoon.
• Place the baking sheet in an oven at 120 degrees for 5 minutes, then let the fishcakes cool thoroughly.
• Heat a generous layer of oil in a deep fryer or a deep pan to 180 degrees.
• Prepare three bowls: one with flour, one with egg white and one with breadcrumbs.
• First coat each fishcake in flour, dip it in the beaten egg white and finally roll it in the breadcrumbs; fry them in the oil at 180 degrees for 4 minutes.

Take care not to burn your mouth; the cakes may be hot.

Title: Ceviche
Author: Seger Abels
Price: €24.99
Publisher: Fontaine uitgevers

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