Welcome back to The Lost Cookbooks Show! The votes are in from our latest YouTube community poll, and this week we are tackling a quick pantry staple from the 1946 edition of The Joy of Cooking: Emergency Fish Cakes.

Irma Rombauer’s 1946 edition was famous for streamlining recipes to help home cooks transition out of wartime rationing, but occasionally, her instructions were delightfully vague. For these Emergency Fish Cakes, the cookbook essentially tells you to take any type of cooked or canned fish, mix it with mashed potatoes or condensed soup, and form it into a patty just like you would any other fish ball. It leaves a lot to the imagination, so I decided to take the reins and give this loose concept a proper southern spin.

Since the cookbook left the measurements up to the cook, I pulled together a simple, hearty version using a 5-ounce can of Albacore white tuna and a thick, homemade mashed potato base. The secret to a perfect fish cake is to keep your mashed potatoes thick and starchy rather than whipping them into a creamy frenzy—the density is what holds the patties together beautifully when they hit the hot oil. To give it that signature kick, I also heavily seasoned the mixture with a generous tablespoon of Creole seafood seasoning, plus garlic and onion powder.

The real triumph of this recipe? Steve absolutely loved them. He was genuinely shocked when I revealed the main ingredient was tuna, a fish he always claims to despise! I have a sneaking suspicion his aversion comes from memories of cheap, mushy canned tuna. Upgrading to a firm Albacore white tuna and packing the cakes with those savory Creole spices completely changed his mind, and these got the official drool-worthy stamp of approval.

To round out the meal, I paired the crispy fish cakes with a rich, savory batch of yellow stone-ground cheese grits, using my favorite grits from The Old Mill in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Here is exactly how I brought this vague 1946 concept to life.

Emergency Fish Cakes

Ingredients:

• 1 large baking potato, peeled and boiled
• 1/2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp heavy cream
• 1 (5 oz) can Albacore White Tuna, drained well
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp Creole seafood seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• Flour or Italian bread crumbs (as needed for binding)
• Italian bread crumbs (for coating)
• Cooking oil (for frying)

Instructions:

1. Prep the Potatoes: Mash your boiled potato and mix in the butter and cream. Stir until just combined. You want the texture to remain thick and slightly stiff, not creamy. The thicker the potatoes, the better your cakes will hold together.
2. Mix the Base: In a large bowl, combine the thick mashed potatoes, drained Albacore tuna, egg, Creole seafood seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix thoroughly so the spices are evenly distributed.
3. Adjust the Texture: If the mixture feels too sticky to handle, gradually stir in a little flour or Italian bread crumbs until it reaches a consistency you can easily mold.
4. Form and Coat: Form the mixture into individual patties. Pour a generous amount of Italian bread crumbs into a shallow bowl. Press each patty gently into the bread crumbs, flip, and coat the other side until fully covered. Repeat until all the mixture is used.
5. Fry: Heat about 1/4-inch of cooking oil in a cast-iron skillet (my trusty Lodge Blacklock worked perfectly for this) to 350°F – 365°F. Fry the cakes for about 2 minutes per side, or until they achieve a deep golden-brown crust.
6. Drain: Remove from the skillet and let them drain on a paper towel-lined plate before serving.

The Old Mill Stone-Ground Cheese Grits

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup yellow stone-ground grits (The Old Mill)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp butter (plus extra for serving)
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, freshly grated

Instructions:

1. Bring the chicken broth to a rolling boil in a medium saucepan.
2. Slowly whisk in the stone-ground grits and the salt.
3. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
4. At the 16-minute mark, stir in the 1/2 tablespoon of butter and let it melt completely into the grits.
5. Stir in the cheddar cheese until fully melted and incorporated.
6. Serve piping hot with an extra dab of butter on top and salt to taste.

If you enjoyed seeing this vintage recipe come to life, make sure to head over to my YouTube channel. I just posted the brand new recipe poll for next week’s episode! We are officially moving into the “Hot and Cold Sandwiches” section of the 1946 Joy of Cooking, and there are some incredibly interesting retro sandwich recipes to choose from. Go cast your vote, and I’ll see you in the kitchen next week!