Fish cakes are easy to make, and use common ingredients. They are one of my favorite ways to eat fish, and the boys will eat it too!
Jump to RecipeThis recipe is almost straight from the 100 Days of Real Food book. It’s so simple, takes only about 30 minutes, and is a great way to eat fish. I don’t usually like fish, but I will eat it in a few ways, and this is one of them.
Honestly, I was a little unsure about this recipe when I first read it. But Justin wanted to try it, so we did. I also like that the ingredients are common ingredients that we almost always have on hand. So it’s a quick dinner to whip up if we forgot to take something out that day.
This is a meal that Justin always helps with because I am not great at making the fish cake patties. We’ve made this recipe a few times when friends or family were over. They have all enjoyed it.
The dipping sauce is what makes this so good. It’s so simple, yet adds a lot of flavor to the meal. You can use any white fish, but I always prefer tilapia since it isn’t too strong of a fish. One day I will be adventurous and try it with another type of fish, but today is not that day.

Fish Cakes with Dipping Sauce Step by Step
Ingredients
Fish Cakes:
- 1 lb white fish (such as tilapia)
- 1 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
- 1 tbsp fresh onion (minced)
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp yellow mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- olive oil (for cooking)
Dipping Sauce:
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp yellow mustard

Instructions
Start by cooking and shredding the fish. I usually put the fillets in a skillet with a little bit of oil or butter. Fry until they are cooked through. Then shred and place in a medium mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, prepare the dipping sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl with a whisk. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

Once the fish has cooked, spread half of the breadcrumbs out on a plate. In a medium bowl, combine the shredded fish, eggs, onion, sour cream, lemon juice, mustard, salt, cayenne pepper, and the other half of the breadcrumbs.

To make the fish cakes, grab a golf-ball-sized handful of the fish mixture and squeeze it together. Slightly flatten it, like you would when making a hamburger patty. Coat it in the breadcrumbs and set it aside on a plate. Repeat this process until all of the fish mixture has been used.

In a large saute pan, over medium heat, add a layer of oil to the pan, enough to cover the fish cakes halfway. Once the oil is hot, place a single layer of fish cakes into the pan. Cook on each side until browned, about 3-5 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining fish cakes until all are cooked.


Serve the fish cakes warm with the dipping sauce either on the side or top of the cakes.

Fish Cakes with Dipping Sauce Leftovers
Storage: Keep the fish cakes separate from the dipping sauce when storing leftovers. Both should be in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Reheating: The best way to reheat the fish cakes is in an air fryer or in a skillet until warmed through.
Freezing: You can freeze the fish cakes by freezing them in individual layers and then moving them to a freezer bag when they are frozen. I do not recommend keeping the dipping sauce but making a new batch when you are ready to serve the frozen fish cakes.

Recipe
Originally Published On: November 6, 2016
Last Updated On: December 20, 2022

Fish Cakes with Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb white fish (such as tilapia)
- 1 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
- 1 tbsp fresh onion (minced)
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp yellow mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- olive oil (for cooking)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp yellow mustard
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Cook the fish in a frying pan until white and flaky, then shred
- Meanwhile, prepare the dipping sauce by combining all the ingredients then cover and refrigerate
- Spread 1/2 cup of the breadcrumbs on a plate
- In a large saute pan, over medium heat, add a thin layer of olive oil
- Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the shredded fish, eggs, onion, sour cream, lemon juice, mustard, salt, cayenne pepper, and the other 1/2 cup of the breadcrumbs
- To make the fish cakes, grab a golf ball-sized handful of the fish mixture and squeeze it together
- Slightly flatten the fish cake and coat the outside with the breadcrumbs on the plate and place on an empty plate
- Repeat with the rest of the fish mixture
- When the oil is hot, cook the fish cakes until brown, about 3-5 minutes per side
- Serve fish cakes warm with dipping sauce
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Interesting recipe! I am a mess in the kitchen, I don’t have the patience to cook for more than 20min!
xx
lau
Luckily, this doesn’t take much longer than that!
Fish cakes are my favourite but I haven’t tried combining them with dipping sauce before. It looks like a fantastic mixture. I’ll serve myself a dish!
You should try the dipping sauce. Fish cakes are good on their own, but the sauce adds so much flavor to the meal!
I grew up in Wisconsin, where Friday night fish fries were a must. It’s just what everyone did, so I grew up loving fish. These look like a yummy twist on the classic. I’ll have to give it a try.
That sounds like a great Friday night tradition! Friday night was pizza night in my house growing up.
Oh, this looks super yummy. I will definitely have to try this. I love fish cakes and dipping sauces!
They are both great on their own, but it makes such a great combination when you have the sauce to dip the fish cakes in!
We eat fish at least 2-4 times a month and so to have a new sauce for it is awesome. I will definitely be giving this one a try!
We try to eat it about that often as well. This is a recipe that we continue to go back to because we all really enjoy the flavor, and the dipping sauce makes the meal.
These look so tasty! I will have to try making them for myself soon.
It’s one of my favorite fish recipes. I hope you get a chance to try them out for yourself!
I love fish cakes and these look super simple. They are perfect for dipping, which my daughter loves!
My boys love having something to dip their food in too. They really like this meal and don’t even realize they are eating fish!
This recipe is simple. So I will apply it to cook for my family. Thanks for sharing!
It’s definitely an easy recipe, I hope your family likes this meal as much as mine does!
I love things like this. I haven’t made fish cakes myself. But something like this I would love. Too bad my daughter doesn’t love seafood much.
My boys don’t eat a lot of seafood either, but they will devour these. There are so many other flavors in the fish cakes that you don’t really taste the fish on it’s own.
Wow tis recipe looks awesome..going to try it out this weekend
Thank you! I hope you get a chance to make the recipe and like the taste!
Although I am vegetarian, I like the layout of this recipe. It was easy to read, and I’m sure it would be easy to follow for those that decide to make the cakes!
I completely understand. I try to make my recipes easy to read and follow for those who choose to make the meal.
This looks great and I love fish! I’m trying your recipe this weekend.
It’s so easy to make, I hope you enjoy the meal!
This is the perfect recipe to get my kids eating more fish! I struggle to convince them but I think this could be the answer!
My boys eat this and don’t even realize they are eating fish!
I’m not usually a fish fan, but these look pretty darn good. I may have to try them out, maybe change my mind!
I’m picky on what fish recipes I will eat, but I would eat these every week if I could!
I love eating fish cakes but have never tried to make homemade ones. The ones you made, looks very delicious. I must try out the recipe.
It’s pretty easy to make fish cakes with this recipe, I hope you get a chance to try it!
I love making new recipes and we make fish at least once a week. I’ve never tried to make a fish cake. This looks simple and delicious. I’ll have to try this next week.
You should try this out soon if you make fish that often. I think it would work with any kind of fish, I’ve only tried tilapia, though.
I love that your recipe uses ingredients that I always have on hand at home! I bet my kids would love these fish cakes, although they’d probably end up dipping them in ketchup lol
I am honestly shocked that my boys don’t dip them in ketchup, too! But hey, if it gets them to eat, why argue it?!
I never fried fish before, I know it is a popular way to cook fish, but I always end up making a mess in the kitchen! lol
I know what you mean. I used to hate frying foods for the same reason. But after practicing I’ve gotten better at limiting the mess!
I’m not a big fan of fish either, but my husband loves it lol. This looks like it wouldn’t be too fishy tasting with all those other flavors tossed in. I’ll have to try it!
I don’t even taste the fish much in these. It’s just enough to give it a subtle hint of the flavor without being overpowering.
This is a great recipe during Lent!
Very true! And it’s so tasty, you won’t even think about avoiding traditional meats.