Fabulous and fun fish cakes, quarantine-style

When Melissa Sangris was stuck in COVID-19 quarantine she faced a culinary conundrum: she had to figure out how to feed fresh, locally harvested whitefish to the young picky eaters in her house.

They're not big fans of fish, and her middle child really doesn't like it ... Blech!

But it's important to Sangris who is Dene and lives in Yellowknife that everyone in her family eats it.

"Country food connects us to our culture and traditions," she said in a Facebook Messenger chat with CBC.

"The bonus is knowing that it's super healthy and nutritional for my family, which makes me feel happy every time we eat traditional food."

When Sangris was in quarantine, due to a medical trip down south, she was as determined as ever to make sure her family kept eating that way.

"I have a picky eater and try my best to have her try new things."

The plan was to trick her daughter.

"Normally we would cook the fish over the fire and have potatoes and onion as a side," she said.

Knowing that wouldn't work, it was time for fish cakes with a flare. That meant digging deep into her cupboards.

"I decided to use Stove Top stuffing for extra flavour and to try and disguise the fish flavour."

Then Sangris added mayonnaise for even more flavour, and decided not to use eggs as a binder.

"I also breaded the patties with flour, eggs and Panko crumbs. These are the items I had in the pantry with the exception of the fish," she said.

Then she posted her creation on CBC North's Facebook recipe group: The Arctic Kitchen.

"Delicious! I bet using Stove Top is tasty," said one member of the group.

"Looks so good! Love fresh fish from GSL," said another, referencing Great Slave Lake.

And they were right.

The recipe was delicious and a success, Sangris told the commenters on her post.

"Thank youeveryone! They are really tasty. Going to make again for my family."