Baked Fish Cakes with Comeback Sauce

3 fish cakes with lemon garnish and a Southern comeback dipping sauce.

4.50 from 4 votes

Baked Fish Cakes with Comeback Sauce

Baked fish cakes made with cod and lump crab, light on filler and never fried. Comeback sauce and tartar sauce recipes are in the notes.

Prep Time15

Cook Time18

Chilling time in refrigerator1

Total Time1 33

Course: brunch, dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American, Caribbean, Mexican

Meat & Poultry: fish

Servings: (For 1 cake)

Calories: 113kcal

Author: Dorothy Stainbrook

Equipment

baking sheet
large bowl (two)
measuring spoons and cups
wire whisk
sharp knife

Ingredients

1 pound skinless cod filets
1 pound canned lump crab meat
1 large egg lightly beaten with a whisk
¾ cup thick mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream thick, not light
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons chopped scallions
1 teaspoon kosher salt to taste
½ teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
¼ cup cornichon pickles
¾ cup panko or breading

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Shred the white fish filets with a knife or with forks and mix together with the crab. If you chop the white fish, chop it finely. Set the bowl aside.
1 pound skinless cod filets, 1 pound canned lump crab meat
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the egg, mayo, sour cream and mustard. Add the chopped scallions or chives, the salt and pepper and parsley (if using) and stir all together. Can also add chopped cornichon pickles or capers at this point.
Add the fish mixture to the mayonnaise mixture and stir together gently but thoroughly. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour (or more).
1 large egg, 3/4 cup thick mayonnaise, 1/4 cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 3 tablespoons chopped scallions, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, 1/4 cup cornichon pickles
Remove from refrigerator and gather a handful of mixture and lightly form into a small ball. The bowl should make about 15 - 20 patties. The patties will be loosely held together and may seem too moist. Just make them a bit smaller if they won’t stay together for you.
Place the fish ball on the baking sheet and gently flatten a bit. Coat generously with panko. (Leave off the panko if you are making the low carb version).
Bake the fish cakes for 12-15 minutes in the preheated oven (400 F preheated). Bake until the centers reach 160°F. Do not turn them. They should be a pale light brown on top.
Remove them from the oven and turn your oven to broil. Move your oven rack to the broil position. Place the sheet pan back in under the broiler for about 2-3 minutes to brown the tops. Watch carefully so as not to burn.
3/4 cup panko or breading
Remove from the oven, let them sit for a few minutes and then serve with lemon wedges and a dipping sauce. (Recipe for dipping sauce is in the Notes section).
I served it with asparagus but peas or greens would be a great accompaniment.

Video

Notes

SOUTHERN COMEBACK SAUCE:

Whisk together these ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chili sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

TARTAR SAUCE:

Whisk together all of the following ingredients in a bowl. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 onion, finely minced
4 cornichons, finely minced (can substitute pickles or capers)
2 teaspoons mustard (can substitute 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced herbs (chives or tarragon are my favorites)

Cooking Notes:

Substitute any skinless white fish for cod
mayonnaise should be thick, not olive oil based
panko or breading is optional
you can substitute capers for the pickles

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