Phil Vickery challenged me to make something different using Nestle gluten free corn flakes.
Well OK he didn’t really but Nestle did and Phil is right behind this campaign. Check at the bottom of this blog to find out what Phil cooked as his speciality dish using #GF corn flakes. Whose recipe do you prefer? Mine or Phils? Careful now…
Back to Phil and his challenge. I’m pretty sure he didn’t just mean put them in a bowl with some dairy free milk. Now that I can handle. I’ve been enjoying these new #glutenfreecornflakes from Nestle now for months and they’re a great addition to the #freefrom breakfast cupboard.
I was also quite certain that whilst very tasty, my chocolate corn flakes bakes were going to be a little too simple though I do feel you need the recipe for those. If I have time these will follow. But pretty much, melt safe freefrom chocolate, mix in with corn flakes, put on cling film lined baking tray and cool in fridge.
No, this challenge needed something different.
Something I had never done before. Something no one else had ever done before.
I’ve certainly never made fish cakes in my life and having done some googling, they look right up my street. They are probably one of the easier things you can make without epic kitchen cookery skills. They are also something I have massive food envy for when eating out as they are rarely suitable for me with my list of allergies. The good news is that if I can do it anyone can, seriously! Basically you cook the ingredients, bung them in a bowl, mix it all up into a gloopy, sticky mixture, mould into little cakes and fry them.
Yeah, I can handle this.
But make up a recipe? You have to be joking. I’ve never made up my own recipe before. I am awe of people on cookery programmes. How the come up with different taste sensations and rustle up such amazing food under such pressure.
I cook the same old meals week in week out because they’re quick, I know what I’m doing, I’m busy… You get the picture. But I aspire to be this kind of innovative cook. One day when I’m not working all the hours maybe I’ll have time to write my own ‘Allergy friendly recipes for lazy people’ Watch this space. If I do, the fish cakes with gluten free corn flakes is going in!
I have made recipes up in the past but these fall into the ‘put random stuff into an omelette’ or ‘stir fry things you’ve never had before’ category and I wouldn’t exactly call them ground breaking.
So Phil, thanks for all the encouragement. I did it. I made ‘Really, really quick and easy salmon fish cakes using Nestle gluten free corn flakes’. #inspirational #nooneelsehasdonethis #soundsweirdbuttastesamazing
I just took out the potato and put in corn flakes instead. Weird? Yeah but it works. And I took out the onion, even though I love onion, I used other veggies. I use onion in nearly every recipe I cook so this challenge was to see if could live without my trusty onion for one meal because many people are allergic to onion.
This is what you’ll need to make these amazingly quick and easy salmon fish cakes.
Ingredients for amazingly quick and easy freefrom salmon fish cakes
- A bowl for mixing
- Some smoked fish. I used two steaks of oak smoked salmon fillets.
- 2 eggs
- 4 cupfulls of crushed gluten free corn flakes
- 6 button mushrooms – sliced and diced small
- Handful of mange tout
- Half a courgette – sliced and diced up small
- Oil for the pan. I used rape seed oil
- A dash of fresh lime
This recipe couldn’t be easier and made about six generous sized fish cakes. Here’s what to do.
- First of all chop up your mushrooms, mange tout and courgettes into small bits, the smaller they are the faster they’ll cook and easier to bind into cakes. You could also include onions but since so many of my readers are allergic to onions I thought I’d try it without.
- Fry them in a little of the oil with plenty of salt and pepper to your taste
- While they’re cooking, fork the smoked salmon into pieces in your mixing bowl and mix in two eggs
- Put the corn flakes into a plastic bag and crush them up. I found this on a par with bursting bubble wrap. your kids will love doing this if they’re helping
- Now for the best bit. When your veggies are cooked which should be after about 8-10 minutes if you like them still a bit crispy like me, mix them into your bowl with the fish and egg.
- Squeeze in a dash of fresh lime juice
- Add most of the corn flake crumbs to the batter and mix by hand. This is the best bit. The mixture should be quite sticky so you can mould the cakes easily. If it’s too dry add a little dairy free milk. Pat the cakes into round flat cakes, coat in some of the remaining corn flakes and pop them into the frying pan to crisp up
- They don’t take long to cook. Just until they’re going crispy brown, probably about 4-5 mins max on each side.
Now enjoy with fresh salad, new potatoes or sweet potato chips and kale.
I won’t lie, some of the first few were not as good but I got the hang of this.
They taste amazing. The mange tout was crunchy and the corn flakes make for a really crispy coating and not a potato or onion in sight! I love a challenge so this was my potato and onion free fish cakes recipe for those souls out there allergic to these two things not in the top 14 list of allergens.
And the best thing about these fish cakes? They are totally freefrom nearly all major allergens. They do contain eggs which some are allergic to that so apologies if you have an egg allergy. It’s one of the things I can actually eat so I do try to eat them in moderation.
There are three left if anyone wants one?
Watch Phil Vickery in action making a Brilliant Borlotti Bean & Cornflake Chilli Bake!
It’s gluten free so brilliant for all you coeliacs out there.
So what did you think? Are you going to be pimp your corn flakes? If you have some Nestle gluten free cornflakes at home why not try this fish cake recipe? or try Phil’s recipe or why not try something completely different?
forget the gluten free, what about those of us who acutely allergic to Salmon xx Jacquie
Indeed! As my fish allergic colleague pointed out to the today in the office when I polished off the last two. I reckon you could made veggie cakes or pretty much anything cakes. I might try that next time. Apologies my fish allergic friend.
Jacquie, use a different fish? ‘Free From’ recipes can’t be free of all possible allergens because there are so many. I don’t eat dairy but drink soya milk – some are allergic to soya. Ruth’s recipe does say ‘some smoked fish’. I’m not sure why Ruth needs to apologise..?
And if you are allergic to all fish then it wouldn’t be surprising that a ‘fish cake’ is not for you. Ruth is very knowledgeable and does a fantastic job for the allergy community but she can’t work miracles and make u a fish-free fishcake. Cooking for those of us with allergies and intolerances is all about substitution, and the use of corn flakes here instead of breadcrumbs gives us an idea to adapt.
Hello Debs. Yes making a fish free fish cake would be a bit of step beyond even for me. These would be great with mackerel or any other fish, I just happened to fancy salmon. I love salmon. Being allergic to nuts, dairy, wheat, soya, celery and tomatoes I’m not going to cut fish out of my recipes just because others are allergic – unless of course they are coming to dinner. Then of course it would be a fish free zone! and fish cakes would probably not be on the menu!
I seem to have invoked a completely unintended response. I cannot eat any grains, white sugar, ie double saccarides, soya, the cabbage family and of course the dreaded salmon. Of course I can use other fish. Just felt the gluten free cornflakes was not a miraculous break through. Good luck to those who can. Tomorrow is my golden wedding and I have lost count of the people who have asked me if I am going to eat out! I wish. Jacquie
Hi Jacquie, I would struggle with your list of foods to avoid and you’re possibly right about the corn flakes but the challenge of this blog was to use these corn flakes in an innovative way. Salmon fish cakes was the best I could come up with but I’m no Phil Vickery. I hope you have a fantastic golden wedding anniversary with lots of freefrom safe food and no salmon in sight. Such a shame you can’t eat but I’m sure you will prepare just as tasty food at home, but maybe not salmon fish cakes with corn flakes… heh heh.
Dear Ruth, thank you for your kind comments. Not sure who Debbie is and she is entitled to her comments. I wrote about the fishcakes with tongue in cheek, but do not need those sort of comments. I am nearly 75 and have lived with allergy all my life. The last thing I am is negative. Hope this is now closed. Jacquie
If we’re playing ‘allergy bingo’, I can’t eat gluten, wheat, shellfish, cheese, chocolate and coffee. I can only have small amounts of dairy and normally have none. I react to gluten-free oats and quinoa, and foods with a lot of fibre in them (basically everything healthy) make me ill. I manage to eat out and am surprised you can’t. Why can’t you eat something like steak and potatoes and peas out, for example. I know Ruth has many allergies including several things which give her anaphylactic shock, which is far scarier, and I believe she eats out sometimes.
Ruth didn’t claim that her recipe was a miraculous breakthrough – she was just sharing something she tried so others of us might try it. To be honest your posts come over as quite moany. If you can’t eat salmon then why even comment on a post about a salmon fishcake? Or perhaps say ‘that looks interesting – I can’t eat salmon but will try it with a different fish that’s safe for me’.
We are not playing anything. I find your attitude totally offensive and patronising. I will not be commenting again. I am presently coping with a husband who is recovering from a stroke in the middle of which I suffered AVN of my right hip and had to have a fairly rapid total replacement. Life has been far from easy. In the words of my vicar, before you comment remember you are only looking in on someone else’s life Jacquie
Re. the words of your vicar – do you not consider that your negative comments to Ruth are also failing that test?
Right ladies, I leave you alone for a few hours and come back to this. Let’s draw a line under it here now please. We are all in the same boat here, avoiding foods due to health issues so we are all on the same page. Breathe. Count to ten. Life is too short and I need positivity on here. You are both two of my most favourite and ever loyal commenters and I really value both your support. Blogging can be a lonely old game sometimes so comments make my day but I didn’t anticipate this would escalate. Now shake hands please. Let’s be friends.
Sorry, Ruth. And you’re right – so let’s put our differences behind us, Jacquie, and support each other instead. I am sorry you find it so hard to eat out. Happy Golden Wedding Anniversary to you.