We've reached peak summer and that means... Cod cakes

For when you want something a little more extra than a burger or hot dog and don't want to spend much time over the stove.

My fiancé is from Nova Scotia, Canada, and his people eat seafood. Mine is from Eastern Washington via California and we eat salmon and tuna and shellfish, we’ll dabble with halibut, but not much else. And, so, a few summers ago I branched out to surprise my partner and make cod cakes.

I’ve been making this recipe from Sam Sifton at the New York Times at least quarterly ever since. But they’re best right now when hot outside and what you really want is a cold beer and something a little smokey and salty and light that reminds you of the sea.

This one is incredibly easy, you just need to set aside some time to let them rest in the fridge. I use frozen cod — you don’t need fancy stuff here, you’re going to douse it in smoked paprika or Old Bay anyway, top it with a little mayo or tartar sauce, stick it in a bun if you’ve got one or just eat it with a fork and a squeeze of lemon. It is truly a Peak Summer Meal.

Add a bun, some tartar sauce and crisp lettuce. Or mayo and hot sauce. Skip the bun. Have a little pasta salad. A cold drink. It’s going to be a beautiful summer evening.

I’ve made extremely minor tweaks to Sam’s recipe after making it a dozen times. If you’re using Old Bay, omit the salt. If you, like me, prefer smoked paprika here, keep the salt in. I also cook them with a schmear of mayo rather than a bunch of oil and I recommend refrigerating these for at least four hours or they’ll just fall apart. Not that it matters much. They’re still so tasty.

Cod Cakes

Ingredients:

• 4 peppercorns

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 lemon, cut into eighths

• 1 pound cod, or other white flaky fish (frozen pieces are fine here)

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

• 2 ribs celery, trimmed, peeled and diced

• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced

• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

• 1 heaping tbsp of mayonnaise, plus more for cooking

• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

• 2 eggs

• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon black pepper

• 2 tsp Old Bay or 1 tsp smoked paprika and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1 sleeve saltine crackers (I think the saltines work better in this recipe, but 1 cup of panko works in a pinch)

• ½ bunch parsley, roughly chopped

Method:

1. Fill a wide pan with about 2 inches of water and add in your 4 peppercorns, 1/8 of a lemon and 1 bay leaf. Bring that to a bare simmer and then add in your cod. Keep that at a bare simmer, adjusting as necessary, and cook until the cod is whitened all the way through, about 6-8 minutes.

2. Remove the cod and set aside to cool.

3. Next, dice up 2 ribs of celery, 1 medium onion and 2 cloves of garlic.

4. Heat 2 tbsp of unsalted butter over medium heat until melted. Then add in the celery, onion and garlic. Cook until softened and put in a large bowl to cool.

5. Next, grab a small bowl and mix up 1 heaping tbsp of mayonnaise, 2 tsp Dijon mustard, 2 eggs, ½ teaspoon black pepper and either: 2 tsp Old Bay or 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1½ teaspoons kosher salt and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes. Make sure to really get it all incorporated.

6. Now, in the large bowl: Add the mayo and egg mixture and mix together. Next, the 1/2 bunch of chopped parsley and stir again. Then, add in your crushed saltines or 1 cup panko bread crumbs and stir together. Finally, flake in your cod, keeping it in larger chunks. Mix together but don’t break up the fish too much.

7. Then I’ll usually divide the mixture into fourths, two for dinner tonight and two for lunch or dinner tomorrow. Use your hands and just form nice patties. Make sure to really press them together so they don’t fall apart. Put them on a plate and stick them in the fridge, covered, for at least four hours.

8. When you’re ready to cook, take the patties out of the fridge and press them together again with your hands to make sure they hold. Smear both sides of the cod cakes with a little mayonnaise and cook in a pan over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes per side. You want to get a nice brown crust and warm up the center. (If you’re having trouble getting these to stick together, you can bake them at 400 on parchment paper for about 12 minutes, says this genius NYT commenter, and then you won’t have to worry about flipping them. I’d still put a little schmear of mayo on top for browning).

9. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and however else your heart desires. These make great sandwiches but are just fine on their own too.

Yes, and

If you’re looking for something to drink with your cod cakes in this summer heat, may I recommend a Michelada? That’s what I’ve been making this weekend. With thanks to whoever left a bunch of Pacifico at my house.

I’ve been doing these with Clamato — don’t knock it til you try it — but you can use tomato juice. Pour a few ounces of that over ice and top off with a light beer and the juice of half a lime. You can add hot sauce too and a little Tajin on the rim of your glass? Whew. So refreshing

If you’re drinking this inside… no, you’re not.

Background noise

I would be remiss in mentioning Nova Scotia if I did not also mention the folk musician Stan Rogers. If you enjoyed the sea shanty trend of a few years ago, you’ll love this one, a song that, as far as I can tell, every Canadian Maritimer has down by heart. It’s a delight.

That’s all for this week. Stay cool and stay safe out there, folks! I’ll be back next week.