Batch Cooking Experiment: Tuna, Pea and Spring Onion Fishcakes
- Apr 26
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 19
I mentioned in my earlier post ‘Dinner Is No Longer One-Size-Fits-All: Different Dietary Needs at the Dinner Table’, that I was having a go at cooking The Batch Lady style. Here is one of the recipes that I tried and what I made of it.
What I tried and where I found it
One of my recent batch cooking attempts was Tuna Pea and Spring Onion Fishcakes with Ratatouille. I saw them being made on Batch from Scratch: Cooking for Less, Series 2, Episode 6.
Why I chose this recipe
I chose this because it sounded like something both Mum and I would like. It also included a really simple ratatouille recipe to accompany the fishcakes. They both seemed quite straightforward. Using ready-made mashed potatoes and frozen onions and peppers meant the preparation time would be reduced. I thought that would be great for my limited energy. I’ve written a bit more about the need to adapt meals to energy levels in ‘Dinner Is No Longer One-Size-Fits-All’, as it’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot.
On the TV show it was suggested that the tuna could be substituted for tinned salmon, which Mum loves. So I thought this would be a great way for us to get a portion of oily fish, which is known to be good for heart and brain health. The tinned peas (I had no idea there was such a thing!) in the fishcakes, and the ratatouille on the side would give us a good selection of vegetables too.
My thoughts on the prep time
The recipe indicated a preparation time of 10 minutes, which I thought was great, then 40 minutes cooking time. Although, that’s 20 minutes for the fishcakes and 20 minutes for the ratatouille. Which of course can all be cooked at the same time.
However, given you have to:
open and drain the tins
grate the cheese
wash and chop the spring onions, courgette and aubergine
zest a lemon
distribute the flour, breadcrumbs and eggs into three separate bowls
weigh out the frozen onions and peppers
open two tins of chopped tomatoes
combine the fishcake ingredients and mould into fishcakes
10 minutes just isn’t realistic when cooking alone. It’s probably 10 minutes when someone has done all of those tasks already, then you just put it all together. And if, like us, you don’t have an enormous kitchen, there’s also an element of clearing up needed during all of this prep, to clear enough space to work.
In reality I think all of the preparation, right up until putting the fishcakes into the oven and putting the ratatouille on, took me about 45 minutes. Then I had all of the washing up to do! That bit took as long as the cooking, 20 minutes. No time for me to rest before serving up.
On the TV show they had the children involved in making the fishcakes, which I can see is a good idea for families, and would be great fun. They had 3 adults and 2 children making 16 fishcakes in supposedly 10 mins, I was cooking alone and only making 6 fishcakes. But I’m sure they didn’t factor in all the opening of tins, chopping etc and then the washing up.
I was exhausted, and flagging from being on my feet for so long, so I am sure this slowed me down too.
The tweaks I made and why
In addition to switching the tuna for salmon, I made a couple of other changes. The recipe lists 700g of grated cheese for the fishcakes. This is an astonishing amount of cheese, and must be a misprint. On the TV show ‘a good handful’ was suggested. I added 120g, simply because that was the end of the block. I also made the recipe into 6 slightly smaller fishcakes, instead of 4. That made them a more sensible size for Mum and I to have one each. The rest went into the freezer for another day. In the ratatouille, I added 2 teaspoons of sugar. From experience, I have found this balances the acidity of the tomatoes. I am always amazed this isn’t mentioned in more recipes, as it really makes a big difference to the flavour. I also skipped the aubergine, as neither of us are very keen on it.
Was it a hit or miss?
All of my effort was worth it though, as we both really liked the fishcakes and the ratatouille, I’m so glad I remembered the sugar! Both components had enough flavour to please my tastes, but not too strong for Mum’s delicate palate. The cheese was just the right amount, so the fishcakes held their shape, but were soft enough for Mum to cut and chew without any difficulty. The ratatouille was delicious and so simple, especially with the pre-prepared ingredients.
A couple of weeks later, we had the frozen portions. I defrosted the ratatouille first, although I didn't cook it for the suggested 15-20 minutes, as it only needed warming through. I did this in a saucepan, on a medium heat for about 5 minutes. The fishcakes I cooked from frozen, and they took about 30 minutes. They held their shape and flavour really well, and the ratatouille tasted just as good as the first time around. In fact, I think for me they both tasted better, because I wasn’t exhausted this time, as I’d done all the work a few weeks before. This made for such a quick, easy and low energy meal. It really reinforced for me why batch cooking, when it’s manageable, can be so worthwhile. And because it’s a meal we both enjoyed, it feels like a big win.
Would I make it again?
I would definitely make this again and recommend it, but watch out for the cheese quantity, and add a bit of sugar to your ratatouille. I think it would be great fun to make with children, especially shaping the fishcakes and coating them in flour, eggs and breadcrumbs. What wonderful mess and memories that would create! Given you can easily size this recipe up or down, it could work whether you’re cooking for one or for several people. Both components can be frozen in individual portions (not together obviously), so they’d be great to grab out of the freezer, for one, two or however many people you want. And the ratatouille is so easy it would be great for beginner cooks. We both agreed it would make a good side to have with most meals. I can’t believe I’ve never made it before. I can see myself, on a day when I have the energy, making a big batch of this to portion up and put in the freezer.
Next time I make this recipe, I will definitely make the fishcakes ahead of when I want to cook them. Either earlier in the day, or even the day before. And I would put the ratatouille together earlier in the day too. Over an hour on my feet in the kitchen is far too much for me and takes quite a while to recover from. But having time to rest properly between making things and then cooking them would make all the difference, which is exactly why having meals like this in the freezer makes such a difference.
Have you tried this recipe? Or any other batch cooking? Please share your experiences and/or tips below, I’d love to hear them!
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