Pilchard fishcakes with sweet potato

Name: Pilchard fishcakes with sweet potato
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 portions

Tinned pilchards mashed with sweet potato and spring onion, shaped into cakes and baked rather than deep-fried. A cheap store-cupboard supper that children usually eat too.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 40 min
Total: 60 min
Portions: 4

Easy
Pregnancy
Budget-friendly
Store-cupboard
High-protein
Omega-3-containing

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Portions

Ingredient quantities update automatically. Cooking times may need a little adjustment when you change the batch size.

Swap an ingredient

Only swaps that keep this recipe pregnancy-safe are offered. Allergen information below updates when you choose one.

Gluten-free alternative: use 3 tbsp maize meal instead of cake flour

Ingredients

For 4 portions. Tick items as you go — nothing is changed for anyone else.

This recipe contains foods that can contribute to a varied and balanced diet during pregnancy.

Method

Step 1. Boil the sweet potato for 15 minutes until soft, drain very well and mash. Let it cool for 10 minutes.
Step 2. Mash in the pilchards, spring onion, egg, flour and lemon zest, and season with black pepper.
Step 3. Shape into eight cakes and place on an oiled baking tray.
Step 4. Bake at 200 °C for 20–25 minutes, turning once, until golden and piping hot in the middle.
Step 5. Serve with lemon wedges and a salad.

Allergens for your selection

Contains: Fish
Contains: Eggs
Contains: Cereals containing gluten

Ingredient brands and substitutions can change allergen content. Always check the labels on the products you buy.

Food safety

Use pasteurised milk, maas and dairy products in pregnancy, and avoid unpasteurised (raw) milk and soft mould-ripened cheeses.
Cook meat, chicken, fish and eggs right through — no pink meat, no runny yolks.
Wash all fruit, vegetables and leafy greens in clean water, and wash your hands, boards and knives between raw and cooked food.
Avoid liver and liver products such as liver pâté in pregnancy because of their high vitamin A content.
Cool, chill and reheat food once only. Where power supply is unreliable, cook smaller amounts more often rather than storing cooked food.
Speak to your doctor, midwife or a registered dietitian about supplements and about any food you are unsure of.
Tinned pilchards, sardines and hake are everyday, affordable choices. Large predatory fish such as shark, swordfish and marlin are best limited because they may contain higher levels of mercury, and this matters more in pregnancy.
For work, a long clinic day or a treatment trip, pack the food in a clean sealed container. Anything that needs chilling should travel in a cool bag with a wrapped cool pack and be eaten the same day. If it has stood warm for several hours, throw it away.

Allergens

Contains: Fish
Contains: Eggs
Contains: Cereals containing gluten

Ingredient brands and substitutions can change allergen content. Always check the labels on the products you buy.

Sources

South African food-based dietary guidelines — National Department of Health, South Africa, reviewed 7 September 2026
Nutrition information for the public — Association for Dietetics in South Africa (ADSA), reviewed 7 September 2026
Five keys to safer food — World Health Organization, reviewed 7 September 2026
WHO recommendations on antenatal care for a positive pregnancy experience — World Health Organization, reviewed 7 September 2026