Thai fish cakes

Very simple and immensely satisfying – both to make and eat – these Thai fish cakes never last long in my house. And nor should they….

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I vary between making these with red curry paste or green curry paste: each bringing different things to the table, but both are a joy to eat!

Thai green curry paste

I tend to make my own green curry paste (the recipe is below), which will be enough for these fishcakes, plus some left to make enough curry for two.

Homemade Thai green curry paste

However,  a good shop-bought curry paste is fine to use. If you have a Thai supermarket nearby, buy pastes from there as they will be much nicer than the mass-produced ones often lurking in supermarkets.

Recipe: Thai fish cakes – serves 4 generously

Thai fish cakes

• about 200g cod, skinned
• 3 tablespoons green Thai curry paste (below)
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons soft brown sugar or palm sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 egg
• juice of half a lime
• a small handful coriander stalks, roughly chopped

Thai green curry paste

• 2 lemongrass stalks
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon shrimp paste
• 3 chillies (mild green), de-seeded or with the seeds kept if you like it hotter
• 1 tablespoon soft brown sugar
• 3” piece fresh ginger, peeled
• 6 fat garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds, crushed to a powder
• 3 kaffir lime leaves, stems removed
• juice and finely grated zest of 1 lime
• 2 large shallots, peeled

(1) To make the curry paste, put the ingredients into a blender and whizz until you get a paste, scraping down the sides from time to time to help get every bit blitzed. It can be stored in a jar and refrigerated for several days or can be frozen.

Homemade Thai Green Curry paste

(2) For the fish cakes, put the ingredients, apart from the coriander stalks, into a blender and blitz until you get a smooth paste. Mix in the coriander stalks – which give a nice texture.

Thai fish cakes mixture

NB: if you prefer, you can continue to work the mixture with your hands or a wooden spoon to firm up the protein, giving chewier, bouncier fish cakes that are similar to the ones in restaurants. However, I like the fishcakes as they are: they hold their shape and eat so easily!

(3) Shape into small patties and fry in a pan containing a little oil for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown all over. Serve with a dip of choice.

Thai fish cakes

Author: Philip

Finalist on Britain’s Best Home Cook (BBC Television 2018). Published recipe writer with a love of growing fruit & veg, cooking, teaching and eating good food. View all posts by Philip