Fiddle-dee-dee Fish Cakes & Choices

Crab cakes, shrimp cakes, salmon cakes and now fish cakes. I recently dined at a Beaufort restaurant called Paninis where a precocious waitress attempted her very best to get me to order the custom made fish cakes...apparently the chef uses "fresh catch" determination in selecting fish to become the feature fish cake on the menu. Clever. And a good attempt by the waitress to make a pairing recommendation -- to accompany the wine spritzer that I had just ordered. But I didn't order the fish cakes. I went with the antipasto starter instead (which by far is the best North of the Broad River offering of such). And wouldn't you know I've done nothing but think about those darn fish cakes since. Fiddle-dee-dee. I'll just aim for a smoked fish variety of fish cake this week as my own "catch" to please the palate and return another day for the Paninis fish cake. Choices in life...sometimes they take you on the path truly intended, at least that's how I see things. So, I'm back to the Cooking for Friends text again (love you much Alastair Hendy). Simply poach smoked haddock in milk for 5, remove, cool and flake (easy). He uses champ, sometimes referred to as poundies, an Irish dish of mashed potato infused with scallion as the base for the cakes. This recipe for Smoked Haddock Fish Cakes is a bit of a twist from Alastair's version in using corn kernels (which I adore the inclusion of) but pretty much replicates his preparation and delivery (with the exception this recipe does not use champ as the base). Throw out your hollandaise and tartar sauce desires and use a lemon butter drizzle-tossed with fresh baby spinach leaves in plating these cakes. Choices, some good, some bad...some simply reserved for another day.