A brilliant way to turn shop-bought fishcakes into a full and satisfying family meal. Warm pea and bacon salad, topped with a cod fishcake and finished with a runny poached egg. Yum!
This post was written in collaboration with The Saucy Fish Co. All opinions are my own.
Easy weeknight meal alert!
We can’t always make everything from scratch, and when you need a mid-week family dinner in a hurry, I’m certainly not adverse to grabbing something out of the freezer section at the shop.
The Saucy Fish Co. recently sent me some of their new Cod fishcakes (with a Smashing Cheddar and Parsley centre). Actually they sent me six boxes! I’m currently down to two 😀
These fishcakes have just been launched and are available in The Food Warehouse by Iceland, nationwide.
They’re cod and potato fishcakes, wrapped in breadcrumbs and filled with an oozy cheddar sauce. You can cook them straight from frozen and they’re ready in 25 minutes.
These are one of three flavours available. The other two are Salmon Fishcakes with a Creamy Lemon Centre and Smoked Haddock Fishcakes with a Vintage Cheddar Centre. Any of these fishcake flavours would work really well with this recipe.
One thing I always ask myself when we’re having fishcakes though (especially potato-style fishcakes) is what do you serve them with?
- Chips, bread and other carb-type sides are out (unless you can manage the carb-on-carb thing? I may occasionally have been guilty of serving curry with rice, chapati and potatoes…)
- And a leafy salad isn’t filling enough.
I’ve got the answer! A more substantial, warm pea and bacon salad – tossed together with pea shoots and fried red onions, then topped with a lovely cod fishcake, and topped all over again with a runny poached egg.
All easily whipped up well within the time the fishcakes are cooking.
Want to see how to put it together?
- First we place those fishcakes (they come in packs of four) in a pre-heated oven.
- Then we fry off pieces of bacon, remove from the pan and use that bacon fat to fry red onion slices and peas. Add the bacon back in, along with peashoots, seasoning and a squeeze of lemon.
- Poach your eggs whilst the peas are cooking, and let them drain on some kitchen paper.
As soon as the fishcakes are ready, spoon the pea mixture onto four plates. Top each with a cod fishcake and a poached egg. Finish with a sprinkling of parsley and black pepper.
Other serving suggestions for these fishcakes:
- Cod fishcake burger – on toasted brioche with pickled red onion, peashoots and mustard mayo – served with skin-on garlic and parsley fries
- Cod fishcakes on  buttery kale and cheddar orzo (yep, going double carb with this one) with lemon zest
- Cod fishcakes served with greens (green beans, asparagus and tenderstem broccoli) and a warm rivagote sauce (a sauce made with broth, capers, herbs and dijon mustard)
- Fishcakes with Cheesy Mash and garlic prawns
How would you serve them?
These Cod Fishcakes with Smashing Cheddar and Parsley Centre are now available in The Food Warehouse by Iceland, nationwide.
The Cod Fishcakes with Bacon and Pea Salad Recipe:

Cod Fishcakes with Bacon and Pea Salad
Ingredients
- 4 saucy fish cod fish cakes
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 6 strips bacon chopped into small pieces
- 1 red onion sliced
- 225 g (1 1/2 cups) fresh peas or frozen petits pois (no need to thaw)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 40 g (2 cups) packed pea shoots
- juice of half a lemon
- 4 eggs
Instructions
- Cook the fishcakes in the oven as per instructions (25 minutes at 200C/400F (fan)).4 saucy fish cod fish cakes
- In a large frying pan, heat the oil over high heat.1 tbsp vegetable oil
- Add the bacon and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned and golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan.6 strips bacon
- Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil – ready for the poached eggs. Turn down to a gentle simmer.
- Add the onion to the frying pan (there should still be some bacon-flavoured oil in there) and lower the heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes, until the onion starts to soften.1 red onion
- Add the peas, salt and pepper to the frying pan and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the peas are hot. Then add the bacon back in.225 g (1 1/2 cups) fresh peas or frozen petits pois, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Meanwhile, bring the water back up to a rolling boil. Break an egg into a small bowl, and carefully tip it into the boiling water. Repeat with the second egg.4 eggs
- Simmer for 2-3 minutes, until the white is cooked and the yolk is still soft. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on a piece of kitchen roll.
- Repeat with the other two eggs.
- Turn off the heat on both pans. Add the pea shoots to the bacon and pea pan. Squeeze in the lemon juice. Toss together to coat the pea shoots with the oil and slightly wilt.40 g (2 cups) packed pea shoots, juice of half a lemon
- Spoon the pea mixture onto four plates. Top each with a cod fishcake and a poached egg. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutritional Information is per serving
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
Very tasty all the family enjoyed!
Prawn chilli homemade Try it yourself https://youtu.be/6mxBFTxmx98
What a fab way to serve a shop bought fish cake, great for a standby mid week dinner.