Irish Fish Cakes

Peel the potatoes, cut into evenly sized pieces, cover with water, add salt and cook for 15–20 minutes until tender. Drain, return the potatoes to the hot pan for 1 minute to steam off excess moisture, then mash into a dry, fluffy purée.

Pour the milk into a wide saucepan, add the sliced onion and black peppercorns, and bring almost to a boil. Add the cod fillets, reduce the heat and poach for 7–10 minutes, until the fish turns opaque and flakes easily. Remove from the heat and leave the fish in the milk for 5 minutes, then take it out, let it cool and carefully remove any bones.

Flake the cod into large pieces and gently fold into the mashed potato along with the chopped parsley, garlic, one egg, the zest of half a lemon, salt and ground black pepper. Don't overmix, so the fish stays in chunks.

Divide the mixture into eight portions and shape into flat cakes about 2–2.5 cm thick. Cover and chill for 30 minutes to firm up.

Set out flour, two beaten eggs and breadcrumbs in three separate plates. Coat each cake in flour, dip in the egg, then coat evenly in breadcrumbs.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the cakes in batches for about 4–5 minutes per side, until the crust is golden and the centre is hot.

Serve the cakes hot with lemon wedges.