Mark Twain and Crispy Rice Fish Cakes

"You take the lies out of him and he'll shrink to the size of your hat, you take the malice out of him and he'll disappear."

I'm not quite sure how to interpret this quote by Mark Twain.  But again, hat as metaphor.  Not a dinner plate or a bowling ball.  Was he speaking of a specific person who was a malicious liar?  Or was this his general opinion of mankind?  When I first meet people I assume they are truthful and without malice.  I am always surprised when they are not who I originally thought them to be.  I guess if they then became a different kind of person without the lies or malice, that despicable person would disappear.  Who would be left?  I think I should reread some Mark Twain.  He also said "I find that principles have no real force, except when one is well fed".  

Someone was very well fed at my house recently.  Our little goddaughter was visiting, 4-year old Alea, and I had made fish cakes for lunch.  You never know what a 4-year old will eat.  Once she had tasted them she would not stop eating.  Then she decided they were best if you closed your eyes and savored every bite with mmm for accent.  And have it with a bite of avocado.

I tried a crispy rice coating which should really be made into snack food. 


Crispy Rice Fish Cakes


makes 8 cakes

1 cup short grain rice (I used Lotus Foods Jade Rice)
1 lb. flaky white fish: sole, halibut, cod
3 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. butter
1/2 fennel bulb, diced
2 tbs. chopped fennel fronds
2 tbs. chopped parsley
1 tsp. lemon zest
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 tsp. salt

Cook the rice in 1 1/4 cups water for about 10 minutes.  Spread it on a sheet pan in one layer, it will be sticky, and put in a pre-heated 300 degree oven for 5-8 minutes to dry it a bit.

Sauté the fish in 2 tbs. olive oil and 1 tbs. butter on both sides until cooked and flaky.  Remove to a bowl.  Add 1 more tbs. of olive oil and butter to the pan.  Sauté the diced fennel until it starts to soften, add any fish juice from the bowl with the fish and cook until there is no more liquid in the pan.  Add 1/4 cup of the cooked rice, the cooked fennel, the fennel fronds, parsley, lemon zest and juice, and salt to the fish and mix together.  Let cool.

Form the cakes in your hand and press a layer of rice into each side of the cake to form the crust.  Make them about the size of a hockey puck.  Place on a plate and put them in the fridge for at least 1/2 hour to firm up.

Heat 2 tbs. of olive oil and 1 tbs. of butter in a heavy bottom skillet.  Gently place the fish cakes in the pan and fry on one side until the rice is golden brown, turn and fry the other side.  They should hold together if you handle them gently.

Serve on a mixed green salad with a simple vinaigrette. The rice is crispy and the fish filling is so flavorful.  If you want, savor the taste with your eyes closed, a la Alea.  And say mmm...

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