Vic Williams: Fish patties with capsicum and cucumber salad

Warm seafood patties go delightfully with a crisp salad. Picture / Sylvie Whinray

Serves 4

1 tbsp pure olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, squashed, peeled, chopped tsp paprika
salt and pepper
1 tbsp chopped flatleaf parsley
750g skinned, boned white fish, diced
cup breadcrumbs
2 small eggs
flour for dusting

Salad

10cm piece cucumber
1 yellow capsicum, seeds and ribs removed
2 spring onions, trimmed, chopped (mainly white part)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp rice vinegar
4 tbsps peanut oil
2 handfuls rocket leaves, stalks removed

Heat the olive oil in a small frypan and cook the onion until it softens, then add the garlic. Cook, stirring, a further 30 seconds then add paprika, salt, pepper, parsley and fish. Toss for 10 seconds, remove from the heat and transfer to a food processor, in batches if necessary. Process coarsely and place in a bowl. Add breadcrumbs, then eggs, stirring vigorously each time.

Dust hands with flour and form the mixture into 8-10 balls. Flatten into thick patties and chill for 15-30 minutes.

For the salad, peel the cucumber and cut the flesh away from the core of seeds, which can be discarded. Sprinkle with salt and leave for 15 minutes. Slice capsicum into thin strips. Pat cucumber dry, cut into strips and mix with the capsicum.

Meanwhile, place the chopped spring onion in a small saucepan with sugar, rice vinegar and cup water. Bring to the boil, stir in one tablespoon of peanut oil, season and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat until room temperature.

Heat 2 tablespoons of peanut oil in a heavy frypan and cook the fish patties, turning once, until they are brown on both sides. Leave to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, arrange rocket leaves on four plates and drizzle with remaining peanut oil. Toss the cucumber and capsicum with the sugar and vinegar mix and place around the outside. Place two or three fish patties in the centre of each serving.