New Orleans Style Barramundi Cakes

New Orleans Style Barramundi Cakes

The Better Fish

We love this recipe! We use this base recipe with all types of fish—tilefish cakes anyone? If you don't have saltines, panko works too. The remoulade is good with just about any seafood burger, or use it as a dipping source for fish fingers.

Fish cakes

  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon Creole mustard (if you can’t find this, try stone ground Dijon)
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • ½ small red, yellow or orange bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 2 scallions, finely chopped
  • 20 saltine crackers, finely chopped
  • 1 pound cooked barramundi, flaked apart
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • Lemon wedge, for serving


Remoulade

  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons Creole mustard (as above, you can substitute stone ground Dijon)
  • 2 teaspoons hot sauce (we love Crystal or Tabasco, but use your favorite)
  • 1½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
  • 1 tablespoon ketchup
  • ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspooon paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (use less or eliminate this if spicy isn’t your thing)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)

Make the remoulade 
It’s much easier than it seems. Whisk together the mayonnaise, Creole mustard, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, ketchup, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper and lemon juice in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.

Prep and cook the cakes (if the barramundi hasn't already been cooked, see below)
Whisk together the mayonnaise, egg, Creole mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, Cajun seasoning, bell pepper and scallions in a large bowl. Add the crushed saltine crackers and flaked barramundi, then gently mix until combined. Form the mixture into small patties—you should be able to make about 20 of them—and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 325℉. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the oil and butter are hot, start sautéing the barramundi cakes a few at a time. Make sure not to overcrowd them or they won’t cook evenly. Cook until golden brown on one side (about 2-3 minutes), flip, and cook until golden on the other side. Place the finished cakes on a rack or on paper towels to drain, then transfer them to a baking sheet.

Put the finished cakes in the oven to keep warm while you cook the others, adding more cakes to the baking sheet as you finish them.

Arrange the barramundi cakes on a platter and serve with your homemade remoulade and lemon wedges on the side. They’re best hot, so dig in immediately!

Extra help: The remoulade recipe makes about one cup. If you have any left over, it can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

The Barramundi
You can make the barramundi whichever way you think is easiest (baked, seared, steamed). Just make sure it’s not heavily seasoned. We like to bake it with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

Original recipe

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