Ok, let’s get this out of the way right off the bat: Fish cakes are not cakes made to be eaten by fish. If that’s what you’re looking for, I’m sure there are plenty of sites that will give you great recipes for “worm frosting” or “krill sprinkles.” But that ain’t us.
We’re also not talking about a sweet, frosted cake that’s shaped like a fish. As much fun as that seems like it would be to eat. (We call a fin piece!)
No, the fish cakes we’re talking about are steamed or fried rounds or strips of fish patty. And they’re meant to be enjoyed by humans. They’re used in many Asian dishes such as ramen, stir-fries, and stews.
Need more info? Good! Because this article answers the question, “What is a fish cake?” in great detail. Let’s get you all the info you need (and get that image of worm frosting out of your head).
What is fish cake made of?
The precise ingredients in fish cake (or fishcake, if you please) depend on which type of fish cake you’re eating. If you’re wondering about those flower-shaped fish cake disks that come in ramen (aka narutomaki), then the ingredients are pureed whitefish, egg whites, salt, sugar, mirin, and food coloring for the swirl. If you’re wondering about Korean fish cake (eomuk or odeng), then the ingredients are pureed white fish, wheat flour, sugar, salt, and usually some vegetables like carrots and onions. But there are many other kinds of fish cake as well. Within Japanese cooking alone there are multiple—such as chikuwa (which are steamed around bamboo sticks), hanpen (which are steamed and typically square), and satsuma age (which are fried). For the most part, though, fish cakes are made with a base of whitefish paste.
What do fish cakes taste like?
Depending on any added ingredients, fish cakes taste, well, you guessed it: fishy. But typically not too fishy. Each variety has their own flavor profile, sure, but the base of each is fish, which will win out flavor-wise unless you’re packing on the extracurricular sauces and such! Aside from the fish flavor, fish cakes are usually slightly sweet. They’re also often a bit springy in texture.
How are fish cakes made?
Not to sound like a broken record, but it really depends on the type of fish cake. Typically, all fish cakes start out with fish puree and some sort of binder (flour or egg whites), which is then fashioned into loaves or a mold and steamed or fried and then sliced.
While it may not be the variety of cake you want for a kindergartener’s birthday celebration (although, I’m sure there are more than a handful of elementary school foodies out there), fish cake is a popular ingredient with many variations. Just leave the frosting at home.
