Taste Magazine
Login/Register
Menu
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Starters
    • Mains
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
    • View all
  • Ingredients
    • Asparagus
    • Avocado
    • Beetroot
    • Berries
    • Cheese
    • Chicken
    • Mielies
    • Potatoes
    • Spinach
    • View all
  • Dishes
    • Chakalaka
    • Braai
    • Fridge desserts
    • Mediterranean
    • Sandwiches
    • Plant-based
    • Potjies
    • View all
  • Occasions
    • Birthdays
    • Ramadan
    • Eid
    • Easter
    • Pesach
    • Diwali
    • Hanukkah
    • Christmas
    • New Year’s Eve
  • Popular
    • South African
    • Air fryer
    • Braai
    • Five-ingredients or less
    • 30 minutes or less
    • Great Value
  • Win
    • Competitions
    • Competition Winners
  • Culture
    • Articles
    • How To
    • Columns
    • Glossary
  • WList™ great value hub
  • WCellar
  • Login
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter sign up
Editor’s picks
Cardamom pavlova and whipped rose cream
Eid recipes

Cardamom pavlova and whipped rose cream

1.5–2 hours
Mini cottage cheese-and-egg muffins
Cheese recipes

Mini cottage cheese-and-egg muffins

30 minutes
Sticky tofu-and-black rice bowl with quick-pickled cabbage
Cabbage recipes

Sticky tofu-and-black rice bowl with quick-pickled cabbage

10 minutes
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • fresh parsley
Bianco cucina (anchovy-and-cauliflower pasta)
Anchovy recipes

Bianco cucina (anchovy-and-cauliflower pasta)

15 minutes
Calamari, chorizo and tomato rice
Calamari

Calamari, chorizo and tomato rice

30 minutes
Ginger beer can chicken
Braai recipes

Ginger beer can chicken

1¼ hours
Caveman fillet with anchovy butter and tomato bruschetta
Beef recipes

Caveman fillet with anchovy butter and tomato bruschetta

25 minutes
Crispy artichoke fritters
Fritter recipes

Crispy artichoke fritters

5-8 minutes
Cucumber-and-herb soup with verjuice granita
Soup recipes

Cucumber-and-herb soup with verjuice granita

Angelfish with sauce vierge
Fish recipes

Angelfish with sauce vierge

Cafe de Paris butter
French recipes

Cafe de Paris butter

Chicken noodle soup
Soup recipes

Chicken noodle soup

30 minutes
Grilled brinjal rolls with tomato salsa
Brinjal recipes

Grilled brinjal rolls with tomato salsa

Butternut and baby marrow chips with anchovy aioli
Anchovy recipes

Butternut and baby marrow chips with anchovy aioli

10 minutes
Giant cheesy fish cakes with pistachio pesto
Fish recipes

Giant cheesy fish cakes with pistachio pesto

20 minutes
Load more
  • Taste Magazine
  • shop online at woolworths. Shop Now
© 2026 Woolworths holdings limited. All rights strictly reserved.
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Media24
Please login or register to favourite a recipe.
Login/Register

Giant cheesy fish cakes with pistachio pesto

By Aletta Lintvelt
4
Easy
30 minutes, plus chilling time
20 minutes

Ingredients

    For the fish cakes:

  • 1 medium potato
  • 1/2 medium sweet potato
  • 2 spring onions, minced
  • 1/2 cup white Cheddar, finely grated
  • salt, to taste
  • 400 g smoked snoek
  • 120 g dried breadcrumbs
  • 1 free-range egg, beaten
  • butter or oil, for frying
  • For the pesto:

  • 1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 cup shelled pistachio nuts, chopped
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan or Gruyère, grated
  • 1 lemon 1, juiced
  • salt, to taste

Method

Peel the potato and sweet potato and cut into chunks. Cook in boiling water until tender enough to mash – about 10 minutes. Drain well and mash to a smooth consistency. Set aside to cool.

Combine 1 cup mash with the spring onion and cheese and season with salt. Remove the bones from the fish and flake it. Some parts of smoked fish will be drier than others – it is a good idea to mash these drier bits finely and leave the juicer parts in large chunks. First stir the fine bits of fish into the mash, then gently stir the large chunks through until just combined, ensuring the fish remains chunky.

Spread the breadcrumbs on one plate and pour the beaten egg into another. Shape the fish cakes into four patties and dip them first into the egg and then into the breadcrumbs. Place the fish cakes on a plate and chill for at least an hour – overnight is better.

Fry the fish cakes in the butter or oil until golden. Gently turn – be careful as they will fall apart easily – and fry the other side. Serve with the pesto.

To make the pesto, blend 3⁄4 of each of the following: mint, parsley, nuts and olive oil to form a thick chunky paste. Stir in the remaining ingredients into the mixture and add the lemon juice. Taste and season further with salt and lemon juice if necessary.