A fishcake is the round cake of fish and potato mixed together and fried — the economical classic of British fish cookery. Flaked cooked fish — cod, haddock, salmon, or the thrifty smoked varieties — is bound with mashed potato, seasoned, shaped into rounds, coated in breadcrumbs or batter, and fried or baked to a crisp golden shell around a soft, savoury centre. The potato stretches the fish, the coating gives the crunch, and the whole thing turns leftovers or cheaper cuts into a proper meal. Variations span the Thai fish cake, springy with paste and curry, to the salt-cod cakes of the Caribbean. The fishcake is thrift made delicious — the art of making a little fish feed many, crisped to perfection.