Serve these flavorful, juicy and crisp Thai-style fish cakes with herbal salad as a light meal or appetizer.
This succulent Thai fish cake recipe was inspired by a delicious meal at a famous NYC Thai restaurant with an award-winning cookbook author, JJ Goode in 2014. I have updated it to share again today.
Ingredients
White Fish: You can use either cod, tilapia or another white fish. You need 1 pound without skin or bones.
Thai Red Curry Paste: Find this in the international raise in the grocery store.
Lime Juice and Zest: Fresh lime zest adds flavor to the fish cake. After you zest it, juice it for the dressing. If you can find a lime leaf, mince it finely and use in place of the zest.
Galangal: Galangal is a root closely related to both ginger and turmeric. Find it in the produce department with the ginger root. Sub 2 teaspoons grated ginger root if you can’t find it.
Thai bird chilis: Try to find Thai bird chilis but if you can’t find them use minced habanero or Scotch bonnet to taste.
Thai fish sauce: Thai fish sauce very fairly salty and pungent. If necessary you can sub in a Vietnamese fish sauce.
Corn starch: This holds the cakes together.
Sugar: Important to balance the flavors. Use either 5 teaspoons maple syrup or brown sugar
Coconut oil: To pan fry the cakes
Canola oil: for the dressing
For the Herbal Salad: You’ll need fresh washed and torn basil leaves, cilantro and mint. To bulk it up, add either Romaine lettuce or Napa Cabbage to your shopping list. The other veggies are chopped scallion or green onion and julienne radish.
Thai Sweet Chili Sauce: To serve
How to Make Thai Fish Cakes
Step 1: Make Fish Cake
Cut the fish into large chunks and place it in a food processor with the steel blade attachment. Add your cornstarch, the lime zest (or minced lime leaf), two tablespoons of the fish sauce, 1 tablespoon sugar or maple syrup, galangal (or ginger) and the Thai curry paste. Pulse the mixture to chop it and then process until the mixture comes together as a sticky rough ‘dough’.
Step 2: Form Into Cakes
Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Form fish mixture into 8 patties (1/4 cup each) with moist hands, and set on a baking sheet.
Step 3: Cook fish cakes
Heat 2 tablespoon coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 of the fish cakes and cook until browned on the bottom, 2 to 4 minutes. Carefully turn over and continue cooking, adjusting heat as necessary to prevent burning, until cooked through and the other side is browned, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining 2 tablespoons coconut oil and cakes, adjusting heat as necessary.
Step 3: Make Thai Herbal Salad
Whisk the remaining 2 teaspoons fish sauce, 2 teaspoons maple syrup, lime juice, canola oil and chili in a large bowl. Add Romaine (or Napa), scallion, radish and herbs and toss to coat. Divide salad among four plates top with the fish cakes and drizzle any remaining dressing from the bottom of the bowl over. Alternatively, arrange on a platter with a bowl of the sweet chilli sauce for dunking.
FAQs and Expert Tips
How to make these fish cakes ahead: To make ahead, assemble the fish cakes but don’t cook. Place them in an airtight container with pieces of parchment paper placed in between each fish cake. Place in the fridge for 1-2 days or freeze for 1-2 months. What goes with Thai Fish Cakes? These are usually served as a starter at Thai restaurants, but you can serve them as a meal with jasmine rice or sticky rice.
At Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we specialize in cooking with fresh veggies and creating weeknight meals. Sign up HERE to get more produce-forward dinner ideas for FREE! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought! Happy Cooking! ~Katie
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Description
Thai fish cakes with shredded herbal salad is an appetizer to share with sweet Thai dipping sauce or serve as a light dinner with freshly steamed rice.Â
1 pound uncooked boneless skinless white fish
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 teaspoon lime zest or 1 fresh kaffir lime leaf, minced
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Thai fish sauce, divided
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons maple syrup (or brown sugar), divided
1 tablespoon grated galangal, or 2 teaspoons grated ginger root
2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
4 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh chili, preferably Thai bird chilis or 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or more to taste
4 cups shredded Romaine or Napa cabbage
1 scallion, minced
1 cup julienne radish
1 cup loosely packed torn mixed basil leaves, cilantro and mint
Thai Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce (optional)
Cut the fish into large chunks and place in a food processor with steel blade attachment. Add cornstarch, lime zest (or lime leaf), two tablespoons fish sauce, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, galangal (or ginger) and curry paste. Pulse and then process until the mixture comes together as a sticky rough ‘dough’.
Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Form fish mixture into 8 patties (1/4 cup each) with moist hands, and set on a baking sheet.
Heat 2 tablespoon coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 of the fish cakes and cook until browned on the bottom, 2 to 4 minutes. Carefully turn over and continue cooking, adjusting heat as necessary to prevent burning, until cooked through and the other side is browned, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining 2 tablespoons coconut oil and cakes, adjusting heat as necessary.
Whisk the remaining 2 teaspoons fish sauce, 2 teaspoons maple syrup, lime juice, canola oil and chili in a large bowl. Add Romaine (or Napa), scallion, radish and herbs and toss to coat. Serve on a platter as an appetizer with the dipping sauce. Or divide salad among four plates top with the fish cakes and drizzle any remaining dressing from the bottom of the bowl over.
Notes
Make Ahead:
To make ahead, assemble the fish cakes but don’t cook. Place them in an airtight container with pieces of parchment paper placed in between each. Place in the fridge for 1-2 days or freeze for 1-2 months.
Prep Time: 40 minutesCook Time: 25 minutesCategory: Main CourseMethod: Stove TopCuisine: Thai
Nutrition
Serving Size: 2 cakes and 2 cups salad
Calories: 222
Fat: 11
Saturated Fat: 5 g
Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 23 g
Additional Recipes to Try
About the Author
Katie Webster
Katie Webster studied art and photography at Skidmore College and is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute. She has been a professional recipe developer since 2001 when she first started working in the test kitchen at EatingWell magazine. Her recipes have been featured in numerous magazines including Shape, Fitness, Parents and several Edible Communities publications among others. Her cookbook, Maple {Quirk Books} was published in 2015. She launched Healthy Seasonal Recipes in 2009. She lives in Vermont with her husband, two teenage daughters and two yellow labs. In her free time, you can find her at the gym, cooking, stacking firewood, making maple syrup, and tending to her overgrown perennial garden.