Fishcakes with Lemon and Mint Green Veg

With Spring comes an abundance of beautiful fresh green vegetables and for me, this is therefore one of the best times of year when it comes to cooking. I like pretty much every kind of food but there's something truly magical about light, fresh, dare I say it, "clean" meals to make you feel full of energy and ready for the week ahead.

This is one of those dishes that is incredibly simple to make and it really lends itself to after-work cooking as everything cooks at once and it can be on the table in around half an hour. Zesty lemon and refreshing mint are the perky flavours bringing everything together in this recipe but ultimately the stars of the show are the veg and, of course, the fluffy yet crispy fishcakes. I love serving this dish with a fried egg on top as the yolk acts as a kind of sauce for the dish... dreamy!

Fishcakes with Lemon and Mint Green Veg
Serves 4

700g sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped 
500g sustainable skinless cod 
Vegetable oil for frying/drizzling 
2 tbsp capers, drained, chopped 
Grated zest and juice 2 lemons 
6 medium free-range eggs 
125g breadcrumbs 
1 onion, chopped
250g peas (fresh if you can get them but frozen work fine)
200g chard
1 head of broccoli, split into florets
1 large courgette, diced
Bunch fresh mint, chopped

Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/ gas 5. Boil the sweet potatoes in a large pan for 15-20 minutes until soft. Drain and put in a large bowl. Add the broccoli to the boiling water and cook for 4 minutes then drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, put the fish in a baking tray, drizzle with oil, season and bake for 10-15 minutes until cooked. Pat dry with kitchen paper. Flake the fish into the bowl with the sweet potatoes, then mix in the capers, the zest of 1 lemon and the juice of half. Season. Shape the mixture into 8 equal patties. Beat 2 of the eggs in a shallow bowl. Put the breadcrumbs in a separate bowl. Dip each fishcake in the egg, then the breadcrumbs. 

In a medium-sized saucepan over a medium-high heat, cook the onion with a drizzle of oil until softened. Add the cooked broccoli to the pan along with the peas, chard and courgette. 

Heat a glug of oil in a large frying pan, then fry the fishcakes in 2 batches for 5 minutes on each side until crisp. Set aside; keep warm.

Wipe the pan, then heat a little more oil. Fry the remaining eggs to your liking. Meanwhile, add the rest of the lemon zest and juice, and the mint to the vegetables and take off the heat. Serve the fishcakes on top of the veg, with a fried egg on top.

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