Today, we are fighting food waste by transforming leftovers. Each post will focus on a leftover that I, Carly, or my partner in crime, Ellen, have in our fridge and how we turn it into something new! We’ll give you step-by-step recipes along with other resources so you can turn your own leftovers into something extraordinary.

Let’s get into it. There was a sale on some swai fish at my local grocery store. I originally made fried fish tacos (yum) but was left with a few pieces of fried fish. Now I could just reheat the fish in the oven, but I wanted something new and not just another fish taco. I decided to make fantastic fish cakes.

For this recipe, you will need:

  • Leftover fried fish
  • 1 tablespoon of Mayo
  • 1 egg
  • 1 green onion
  • ½ cup of panko bread crumbs (you could also use regular bread crumbs)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

1. First, remove all of the breading from your fried fish.

2. Heat your fish pieces in a pan and break them into smaller pieces.

3. While your fish is heating, chop up the breading into smaller pieces.

4. Once the fish is heated up, remove it from the pan and place it in a bowl.

5. Throw the breading into the pan and let it heat up for about two minutes or until you hear a little sizzling.

6. Add the ½ cup of panko bread crumbs to the breading.

7. Mix the breading and panko together and let everything toast up. The oil from your fried fish breading will help crisp everything up.

8. Once toasted, pour the breading and panko mixture into the bowl with your fish pieces.

9. Add your egg, 1 tablespoon of mayo, fresh green onion, and salt and pepper. You can add more spices like paprika or old bay seasoning to this mixture, but I kept it pretty simple.

10. Mix everything together.

11. Form a patty in your hand. I had enough for a patty as big as my palm and one that was slightly smaller.

12. Spray your pan with cooking spray and put your fish cake patties in a hot pan. They should sizzle when you throw them in the pan.

13. Cook until browned on one side, then flip. Once both sides are browned, you are ready to serve your fish cakes.

You can do this recipe with a variety of leftover fish or even canned tuna. You can serve this as is with whatever sauce you like, or you can throw it on a bun with some lettuce and tomato and have a sandwich. One of the best ways to help elevate any dish is to add some fresh herbs to it. Cilantro, parsley, and green onions are all affordable herbs that can help brighten up your dish with some fresh flavors.

Looking for more leftover help, here are a few resources we recommend.

  1. MyFridgeFood
    • This resource lets you select the ingredients you have in your fridge and finds recipes for you based on your selection.
  2. BigOven
    • This resource can help you find new recipes, plan your weekly meals, and make a digital grocery list.
  3. Hack Your Cupboard
    • This book is filled with easy recipes that focus on foods normally found in your cupboards.