Fish Shaped Cakes Recipes

Steps:

• Place templates on sheet cakes, and cut out with a paring knife. Discard scraps. Halve smallest fin piece and round eyeball piece horizontally, discarding bottom halves.
• Arrange pieces into a fish shape.
• Starting with 6 cups buttercream, reserve 1/2 cup and tint the rest pale blue with food coloring. Use blue buttercream to attach fins, tail tip, and eyeballs to body. Coat eyeballs with untinted buttercream and the rest of cake with blue buttercream, rounding over the fin in the center of the body. Refrigerate until frosting is firm, about 30 minutes and up to overnight. Add a second smooth coat of untinted buttercream to eyes. Layer more blue buttercream on fins and tail, creating grooves with a small offset spatula. Add more food coloring to remaining buttercream to darken it. Place in a pastry bag fitted with a small curved petal tip (Ateco #61). Starting at the edge of tail, pipe scallops across the body, overlapping each scallop and each row.
• Use sunflower seeds as pupils and gummy candy as lips.

Steps:

• Prepare cake batter according package directions, replacing 1/2 cup water with milk. Add 1 teaspoon lemon zest and extract. Pour batter into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. , Bake at 350° for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Prepare pudding according to package directions; add remaining lemon zest. Cut cakes into large and small fish. Cut each fish in half horizontally; spread pudding on bottom layers and replace tops., Place fish on a large platter or covered board (about 16x22-in.) Combine the whipped topping and confectioners' sugar; set 1 tablespoon aside. Use remaining frosting to frost top and sides of each fish., On each large fish, place three separate drops of red food coloring on the top third, three drops of yellow on the middle third and three drops of green on the bottom third. Starting from the top edge of fish, use the tip of a spoon to form scales and blend colors into frosting., For eyes, form a 1-in. oval on each large fish with reserved frosting. Place a jelly bean in the center of oval., For small fish, blend one color of food coloring into frosting to make solid-colored fish., Cut four lemon slices in half; place two halves in the center of each large fish for fins. Push rounded edges of one slice into the back of small fish for tails. Cut remaining slices into quarters; place one or two on the bottom of each large fish for fins and two slices on each side of small fish for fins., Place coconut in a plastic bag, sprinkle 3-4 drops blue food coloring into bag and shake until color is evenly distributed. Sprinkle coconut around fish to resemble water. Store in the refrigerator.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large (12-inch) saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery and bell pepper and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Place the fish on top of the vegetables and add the cream, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 6 to 12 minutes (depending on the thickness of the cod), until the fish is just cooked. Set aside in the pan for 10 minutes, then flake the fish into large pieces with a fork.
• Put 2 cups of the panko in a large bowl. Add the cod mixture, including the cooking liquid, the dill, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon zest, eggs, lobster, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper and mix gently.
• Using a 2 1/4-inch ice cream scoop as a measure, shape the mixture into 14 (3-inch) fish cakes. Place the remaining 2 cups of panko on a plate and coat the cakes all over, patting the coating to adhere. Wipe the saute pan clean with a paper towel and heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan over medium heat. Place 5 cakes in the pan and cook for 5 minutes on each side, until nicely browned on both sides. Transfer the cakes to a sheet pan and keep them warm in the oven for up to 15 minutes. Repeat, adding more butter and oil, until the entire mixture is cooked. Serve hot with the remoulade sauce.
• Remoulade Sauce: Place the mayonnaise, cornichons, mustard, vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse a few times until the cornichons are finely chopped (not pureed). Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the first nine ingredients; mix well. Shape into 12 patties, adding additional water if needed; coat with the Italian bread crumbs. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook the patties until lightly browned, 4-5 minutes on each side. If desired, serve immediately with tartar sauce and lemon.

Steps:

• Mix together 125ml mayonnaise, 1 rounded tbsp roughly chopped capers, 1 rounded tsp creamed horseradish, 1 rounded tsp Dijon mustard, 1 small very finley chopped shallot and 1 tsp finely chopped flatleaf parsley. Set aside.
• Lay 450g skinned Icelandic cod or haddock fillet and 2 bay leaves in a frying pan. Pour over 150ml milk and 150ml water.
• Cover, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 4 mins. Take off the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 mins to gently finish cooking the fish.
• Meanwhile, peel and chop 350g Maris Piper potatoes into even-sized chunks. Put them in a saucepan and just cover with boiling water. Add a pinch of salt, bring back to the boil and simmer for 10 mins or until tender, but not broken up.
• Lift the fish out of the milk with a slotted spoon and put on a plate to cool. Drain the potatoes in a colander and leave for a min or two.
• Tip the potatoes back into the hot pan on the lowest heat you can and let them dry out for 1 min, mashing them with a fork and stirring so they don't stick. You should have a light, dry fluffy mash.
• Take off the heat and beat in 1 rounded tbsp of the sauce, then ½ tsp lemon zest, 1 tbsp chopped flatleaf parsley and 1 tbsp snipped chives.
• Season well with salt and pepper. The potato should have a good flavour, so taste and adjust to suit.
• Drain off liquid from the fish, grind some pepper over it, then flake it into big chunks into the pan of potatoes.
• Using your hands, gently lift the fish and potatoes together so they just mix. You'll only need a couple of turns, or the fish will break up too much. Put to one side and cool.
• Beat 1 egg on a large plate and lightly flour a board. Spread 85g fresh white breadcrumbs on a baking sheet. Divide the fish cake mixture into four.
• On the floured board, and with floured hands, carefully shape into four cakes, about 2.5cm thick. One by one, sit each cake in the egg, and brush over the top and sides so it is completely coated.
• Sit the cakes on the crumbs, patting the crumbs on the sides and tops so they are lightly covered. Transfer to a plate, cover and chill for 30 mins (or up to a day ahead).
• Heat 3-4 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil in a large frying pan. To test when ready, drop a piece of the dry breadcrumbs in - if it sizzles and quickly turns golden brown, it is ready to use.
• Fry the fish cakes over a medium heat for about 5 mins on each side or until crisp and golden. Serve with the rest of the sauce (squeeze in a little lemon to taste), lemon wedges for squeezing over and watercress.