David Higgs comes from humble beginnings and he has gradually climbed the culinary ladder to become a well-respected chef in Mzansi. The 49-year-old restaurateur successfully runs two restaurants, Marble and Saint, with his business partner Gary Kyriacou.
As a cycling fanatic, Higgs also started the Food Cycle project to promote healthy eating habits and cycling among youth in poverty stricken areas. The multi award-winning chef prepared one of his favourite recipes – his mother, Elizabeth’s, fishcakes served with chutney and parsley mayonnaise.
Serves 8 first course portions.
Ingredients:
Fishcakes
- 800 g Up-To-Date potatoes / floury potatoes – 450 g cooked weight
- 1 kg seabass offcuts – 650 g cooked weight
- 6 spring onions – thinly sliced
- 15 g parsley – chopped
- 2 lemons – the zest
- 7 ml lemon juice
- 2 egg yolks
- 5 ml hot English mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
David Higgs
Coating
- 3 eggs – beaten
- 100 g flour
- 100 g panko crumbs or breadcrumbs (made from bread without crusts)
- oil – for deep-frying
Parsley mayonnaise
- 220 g parsley purée
- 1 egg yolk
- 15 ml Dijon mustard
- 25 ml white wine vinegar
- 115 ml olive oil / canola blend
- 5 g xanthan gum (thickening agent)
Fried kale leaves
- 8 kale leaves
- olive oil – for brushing
- Mrs Ball’s’ chutney
Method:
- Line the base of a tray with coarse salt. Prick the potatoes and place on the tray. Bake in the oven at 180 °C for 40–60 minutes or until soft – depending on size.
- Once cooked, peel the potatoes, and while still hot, pass through a tamis (utensil that is used as a sieve, food mill and grater). You could also just mash them until smooth.
- Remove the skin from the seabass offcuts and grill until the flesh is white and flaky. Weigh and shred 650 g of the fish into a large bowl.
- Add the potato and remaining ingredients. Mix to incorporate evenly. Remove 30 g of the mixture at a time and roll into balls.
- To batter, place the beaten eggs, flour and crumbs in separate dishes. Coat the fish balls by rolling them in this order – beaten egg, flour, beaten egg and finally, the crumbs. Deep fry the balls at 180 °C until they are a deep golden colour.
- To make the mayonnaise, add the parsley purée, egg yolks, mustard, and vinegar to a Thermomix jug. Blend on medium speed until combined. In a steady stream, add the olive oil to emulsify.
- Add the xanthan gum and continue to blend until well incorporated. Remove the emulsion from the jug and reserve in a piping bag in the fridge until needed. Wash the kale leaves and pat dry. Brush with olive oil and bake at 180 °C until crispy.
- Drain excess oil on paper towels.
- To assemble, arrange the elements of this dish as per the photo, or as you wish. For each serving, top a fried kale leaf with 3 fishcakes, and add 30 g chutney and 15 g parsley mayonnaise to the plate.
