Thai fish cakes
- Prepare
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Serves 4–5
King prawns and basa fillets are blended with aromatic spices and fresh mint to create these flavoursome bites. Enjoy as a starter or serve alongside a Thai-inspired summer feast.
By Marni Xuto
Ingredients
- white fish: 200g/7oz white fish fillets, such as basa, skinned, deboned and cut into chunks
- prawns: 75g/2â…”oz raw king prawns, heads and shells removed
- curry paste: 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
- fish sauce: 1 tbsp fish sauce
- caster sugar: 1 tsp caster sugar
- green beans: 60²µ/2¼´Ç³ú green beans, finely sliced
- mint: 5-8 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- lime leaves: 5 fresh makrut lime leaves, finely chopped (optional)
- vegetable oil: 500ml/18fl oz vegetable oil, for frying
- sea salt: sea salt
Method
Put the white fish, prawns, red curry paste, fish sauce and sugar into a food processor and blend until all the ingredients are combined. Alternatively, use a hand-held stick blender. The mixture should turn into a smooth dough with a vibrant orange colour.
Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. Add the green beans, mint, lime leaves (if using) and a pinch of salt. Fold all the ingredients together.
Place 1 tablespoon of the fish mixture on your fingers, then shape into small bite-size balls and flatten slightly. Repeat this process until all the mixture is used. At this stage, you can chill the mixture for at least 1 hour to help solidify the fishcakes before cooking.
To cook the fishcakes, add the oil to a deep, heavy-bottomed pan and heat to 170–180C. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Fry the fishcakes in batches until they puff up and float to the top, about 2–3 minutes. Once cooked, use a metal slotted spoon to carefully remove the fishcakes and transfer onto kitchen paper to drain any excess oil.
Serve the Thai fishcakes with salad, mint leaves and sweet chilli dipping sauce, if you like.
Recipe tips
When shaping the fishcakes, rub your fingertips with a little oil beforehand. This will help the mixture to become less sticky and easier to roll.
Once the mixture is blended and shaped, it can be frozen. Just place the raw fishcakes on a baking tray and leave in the freezer until solid, then transfer to a zip-lock bag or container.
You can shallow fry the fishcakes too over a medium-high heat if you prefer.
