These kid-approved cod cakes are a fun and tasty way to enjoy fish. Serve it as an appetizer or main course. Kids love the easy texture and light flavor. As a bonus they are very allergy-friendly: gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and nut-free. 

Dinner is Served

“So these are crab cakes?” My husband asked.

“No. As I already told you they are COD cakes.” I said. “Remember I made them before, I’m retesting them for my blog.”

“Oh, right. They are good.” Added my husband.

That was the conversation as we started our dinner last Sunday. The life of a food blogger’s husband! It was the third time I had made these cod cakes and I wanted to make sure they were just as good as the first and second.

Swedish Inspiration

These cod cakes were inspired by my Swedish mom after she suggested I make them. Fish cakes may not be as popular as crab cakes here in the US, but in my opinion, they should be. You can, of course, use any fish, but cod and other similar white fish such as haddock and hake, tend to work really well.

I often buy fish at our local fish market. I prefer to buy it the same day I’m going to use it and since I’m just a 10-minute walk from the fish market, it’s easy to pick up fish while also squeezing in a short but energizing walk.

Potatoes Please

As you may have guessed from some of my other posts (Smoked Salmon Stuffed Hasselback Potatoes, Sheet Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs) I adore Yukon Gold potatoes, so that is what I made these with. But you could also make them with Russet Potatoes or if you want to go all super healthy you could try making them with sweet potatoes.

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Hälsa Tips

Fish

Cod and other white fish provide a lean source of protein. While they still have some omega-3 fatty acids, it’s not as much as fattier varieties such as salmon, tuna, trout, herring, and sardines.

Fish is a healthful food that many of us don’t get enough of. A good goal is to eat it 2-3 times per week. For example, I try to serve fish for 1-2 dinners a week and I usually have it once a week for lunch. If your kids fall short on the recommended fish servings weeks, consider giving them a daily omega-3 fatty acid supplement to make sure they are getting enough of this important fatty acid.

Mercury

Kids, pregnant women, women who may get pregnant, and nursing moms should avoid fish that is higher in mercury, such as King mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, shark, swordfish, tilefish, ahi tuna, and bigeye tuna. All others should minimize their consumption of these fish. Chunk-light or skipjack canned tuna is a lower in mercury alternative to regular tuna.

For more information on fish and mercury refer to this FDA site.

Plating

Serve these cod cakes over a salad or on their own with a dollop of creamy herb sauce (recipe below). For kids, you can keep it simple if they prefer, with some raw sliced veggies on the side and a dipping sauce.

Additionally, you could also make these cod cakes spicy, just add a little hot sauce and or some chopped jalapenos to the mix, but I prefer this mild, Scandinavian-style seasoning.

Allergy Notes

This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free. If you need to make them egg-free, be sure to use vegan mayonnaise.