
A welcome combination of my recipes for potato cakes and sardine fritters, these Sardine Fish Cakes provide yet another inexpensive way of fitting fish into a frugal diet. Trust me, these cakes really are the perfect way to see out a hard week at work, served alongside a wedge of lemon, a hearty portion of chips and a ramekin of tartare sauce.
There are myriad different ways to make fish cakes, but they always contain both potato, which give them body, and fish. How you prepare your ingredients will determine the feel of your fish cakes; they’ll either be robust or delicate. This recipe yields very light fish cakes, which melt like butter on your tongue and cut beautifully.

I’m aware that many of you probably prefer heavier fish cakes. To achieve this, simply under boil your potatoes and mash them less thoroughly. You could even coat yours in breadcrumbs for that traditional, crispy feel.
Of course, don’t feel you have to stick to sardines; tinned salmon or mackerel would do the job just as well. If you’re willing to spend a little more you could even spice things up a little with some good-quality traditionally smoked haddock from Grimsby. Indeed, so versatile are these fish cakes that you’re sure to come back again and again
Sardine Fish Cakes
Makes 6-8
Ingredients:
• 2 tins of sardines in oil or brine (88g drained per tin)
• 300g potatoes, peeled
• 1 tbsp cream cheese
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 50g white bread crumbs
• 3 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
• A twist of black pepper
• A pinch of salt
• lemon wedges, to serve
• Oil for frying
Method:
1. Bring your potatoes to the boil in a little salted water. Once cooked through set aside to cool. Meanwhile, empty the sardines into a mixing bowl and break into chunks.
2. Mash the potatoes until broken but not completely smooth and add to the fish along with the cheese, oil, bread crumbs, dill, black pepper and salt. Fold everything together gently and form the mixture into 6-8 patties. Pop them in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. Heat a generous amount of oil in a heavy-based frying pan and cook your fish cakes four at a time until golden brown on each side. Serve with a wedge of lemon or lime.


Cost: Tinned fish is always relatively cheap, as such these fish cakes are pleasingly cost-effective. Indeed, you should be able to produce the whole batch for no more than £1.50.
29 replies on “Sardine Fish Cakes”
A quick and easy way to get a healthy meal on the table, great recipe! 🙂
Thanks, Celia – it’s extraordinarily fast 🙂
An easy and tasty recipe using basic pantry/fridge items ~ add a favourite salad for a lovely summer meal!
Absolutely – so simple!
A flexible and perennial favourite in the Edible household. 🙂
Great to hear it! Fish cakes are great.
i loved your potato cakes. these would be great too. now i have a question for you. one of my said that when she was inn the uk, she had a pie – a lot like a pork pie she said but with a whole egg on the middle – sold by the slice.. i thought of our scotch apples but she said it was a pie. any ideas?
Thanks :). Well, I assume your Scotch Apples are our Scotch Eggs, but that’s not what she’s talking about. It doesn’t really have a specific name, but a number of pork pie recipes over here include whole boiled eggs in the middle. Sometimes the pork pie is individual and round, other times it’s long and has several eggs running along it so each sliced contains some! Delicious :). Just Google ‘pork pie with eggs’ or something similar.
The pies with eggs through are called Gala pies, you can find recipes online.
Ah – thank you! Good to know 🙂
I’ve never managed to make myself like sardines, I’m always a bit scared of all those bones. I do like the idea of mushing them into a flavoursome fishcake though…definitely trying these!
The bones are so soft in tinned sardines you literally don’t notice them! I hope you change your mind 🙂
How close to the Melton Mowbray would such be ~ I thought that was what was being discussed until I Googled and found no eggs in that famous offering 🙂 !
Thought Celi may have meant the Melton Mowbray, but these do not seem to include any eggs?
I don’t think they do – it’s likely just a delicious twist on the Melton Mowbray.
These look lovely. Im wondering if I can swap sardines for white fish?
Yes, definitely – I’d remove the bones first though.
These look incredible! I love salmon cakes, but have never tried a fish cake with sardines… I’m not a big fan of sardines on their own, but I bet they would be delicious treated like this!
These aren’t too fishy actually, I’m sure you’d like them 🙂
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I just made and cooked these, I’m interested to know, is there a way to make them less “mushy”?
I love these. I would like to make a big batch and freeze some. Would the potato content make them go mushy when defrosted?
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These sound great! But, i’m curious if know of breadcrumb substitute?
Thanks so much for the recipe and the help!
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I grew up eating canned sardines, in a sandwich similar to tuna salad sans mayo, over rice with onions and as fritters aka sardine cakes. The version I grew up with is much easier than this and just as filling. Mix your sardines together with onions, vinegar or lemon juice, hot pepper, fresh or otherwise. Add eggs and beat until all mixed together. Mix in some breadcrumbs and shape. Fry in just enough oil to cover the pan or in an air fryer. Easy! You can try them in an omelet or just scrambled with eggs.
That sounds great too – I’ll try it. I have a few tins of sardines lying around as it happens.