Waitrose Cod Fishcakes with creamy parsley sauce

I'm actually quite partial to supermarket fishcakes so long as they're good quality and not bulked out with weird technno ingredients. They make a nice easy meal and they're not too processed. However, they need to be very meaty and not be hard, crispy or shrivelled up. I've always particularly enjoyed M&S' melt in the middle fishcakes but bought these as part of a 3 for £10 meat and fish deal at Waitrose.

The fishcakes are a really good size. If you're only having one fishcakes then it needs to be pretty substantial and these meet that mark. They are lovely puffed up domes that are bursting with filling inside.

They were reasonably quick to cook, needing only 25 mins in the oven and, for once, these fishcakes survived the cooking process, staying completely intact. Usually with melting middle or sauce filled fishcakes, I find they tend to burst or leak out whilst in the oven but happily this was not the case here.

Golden and crisp looking, they were quite aromatic in a homely, comforting sort of way as they came out. Cutting one open, I was really pleased with the ratios. These fishcakes have a fish content (30% cod) and very little breadcrumbs on the outside. Indeed, it's only a thin crust that gives a little crunch but it is the filling that is the star of the show - there's loads of it and it's pillowy soft and melt in the mouth.

The parsley sauce in the middle drizzles out as you cut it open, saturating the soft white filling with its savoury and creamy properties. Again, the ration is perfect. It's enough to moisten the fishcake without making it overly pappy helping it to stay intact. The sauce is nice and peppery but doesn't overwhelm the rest of the fishcake so you can appreciate the filling properly.

These fishcakes made a really quick and easy supper with some potatoes and veg. The fact they use such high quality ingredients and are really tasty and satisfying makes the whole package a really good buy.


Price: £3.99 or 3 for £10 at the moment
Available: Waitrose

Pros: Lovely meaty filling, cooks perfectly, perfect ratios of filling, sauce and breadcrumbs
Cons: Only two in a pack so not the most economical buy

Score: 7/10

Marks and Spencer Cod & Pancetta Fishcakes with spicy tomato salsa Review

These interesting take on fishcakes caught my eye simply because of the odd combination of flavours. I don't particularly like bacon but pancetta can be nice if it is subtle and doesn't overpower a dish. Reading the heavenly sounding description only made this product more tempting: 'cod and pancetta fishcakes made with Maris Piper potatoes, slow roasted tomatoes and rocket'.

I couldn't imagine what they would taste like but with so much going on, they certainly didn't sound like a standard fishcake. Opening the packet revealed a little sachet of spicy salsa and two very large and generous fishcakes flecked with all manner of colours from the added ingredients.

They only took 22mins to cook in the oven and came out a lovely golden colour that still showcased the hidden depth of added extras. A little sploge of the cheery, vibrant salsa on top and they looked like something you would happily pay for in a restaurant.

Cutting into them, I really noticed how different they were. With no breadcrumbs on the outside, they formed a nice crust of their own but had a lovely soft texture on the inside that was soft and melting and tender. These were not bulked out with cheap filler, the cakes were oozing with flakes of white cod.

The flavour combination really worked. They didn't have a pancetta taste and were not salty but it definitely added something as the fishcake had an extra depth and savouriness to it. The tomatoes meanwhile added sweetness and the rocket just uplifted the whole thing with freshness. The salsa on top worked perfectly providing a cooling, tangy coating to the warm, fishy pattie that perfectly complemented the flavours as well.

Price: £4.50
Available: Marks and Spencer

Pros: Substantial and filling yet light and not stodgy. Interesting and fresh flavour combination. Great quality and generosity with ingredients.
Cons: Pretty pricey just for two

Score: 7/10