Parks Canada Heritage Gourmet Recipes

Cod Cakes

This traditional recipe features cod, potatoes and onions – simple and delicious.

Origin: Battle of the Restigouche National Historic Site
Region: Quebec
Period: Traditional
Course: Main Course

Cod fish drawing
Public Domain

The basic ingredients of cod cakes – cod, potatoes, onion, egg and flour – would have been fished, grown and raised by the people who lived on the Gaspé Peninsula at the time of the Battle of the Restigouche. The cod fishery would have been especially important to the inhabitants of the region.

Cod Cakes

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• ¼ cup | 60 ml butter
• 2 cup | 500 ml potatoes, cooked, peeled and mashed (2-3 potatoes)
• 1 cup | 250 g cod, cooked and flaked
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper
• ⅓ cup | 90 g flour

Directions:

• In a large frying pan over medium heat, sauté the chopped onion in the butter. Setting the frying pan aside, place the onions in a large bowl, along with the flaked cod and mashed potatoes; blend well. Add the egg, salt and pepper and mix well.
• Shape the mixture into patties, lightly flattening them. Roll the patties in flour.
• Preheat the frying pan, adding more butter if necessary, and panfry the cod cakes until golden brown on both sides.

Credits:

Recipe tested by Chef Steve Price, Algonquin College School of Hospitality and Tourism

The recipe comes to us from Parks Canada employee Chantal LeBlanc. It was passed down to her from her mother.