I still get fish every Tuesday from H&H Fish here in Santa Cruz. I’ve been doing it for years and it’s wonderful every week. Black cod is a lovely, silky, ethereal fish. It’s almost creamy. I like just frying up fillets but this week I used most of it in cod cakes and just sauteed up small fillet pieces to top the cakes.

1.5 lb black cod/sablefish

1 cup white wine
8 black peppercorns
2 cloves garlic, smashed

2 small yukon gold potatoes

1/4 c chopped fennel
1/4 c chopped shallot

1 egg

2 cups semolina flour

Cut the sable fish into cubes. Poach it in the wine with peppercorns and garlic until cooked through. Strain and pick out the garlic and peppercorns. Mush the fish up.

Meanwhile peel and cube the potatoes. Boil them in salted water. Strain and mush up potatoes.

Meanwhile meanwhile saute the fennel and shallot in olive oil.

When everything is cooked and drained, mush it all together: fish, potatoes, fennel and shallot. Add one egg, salt and pepper. If the mixture is too wet, add some breadcrumbs.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan.

Shape the mixture into patties, it will be sticky and a little hard to work with. Dust the outside with semolina flour and carefully place into hot pan. Repeat until pan is full or fish-potato mush is gone.

Fry until golden brown on each side.

Serve atop salad with a lemon vinaigrette.