Fish cakes are one of the many snacks sold as street food in Thailand. They are fried on request and sold with a dipping sauce and bamboo sticks for eating.
Cook’s tip: Ask your fishmonger to mince the fish for you.
Thai fish cakes with dipping sauce
Ingredients
Fish cakes
- 500g fish mince (see Cook’s Tip)
- 1 lemon grass stalk, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 20ml (4 tsp) fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 60ml (¼ cup) fresh coriander, chopped
- 3 spring onions, finely chopped
- 2 Thai lime leaves, chopped
- zest of 2 limes
- 1 red chilli, seeded and chopped
- ½ red pepper, seeded and chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 large egg
- 45ml (3 tbsp) seasoned flour
Dipping sauce
- 20ml (4 tsp) sesame seeds
- 10ml (2 tsp) sesame oil
- 20ml (4 tsp) honey
- juice of 1 lime
- 30ml (2 tbsp) fish sauce
- 80ml (¹/³ cup) soy sauce
- 1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 spring onion, finely chopped
- oil, for deep frying
Instructions
Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
For the fish cakes, place all the ingredients except the flour in a food processor and blend until just combined.
Using wet hands, shape the mixture into flat patties, roll them lightly in the flour and place them on the baking tray. Continue to make patties until all the mixture has been used. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
For the dipping sauce, combine all the ingredients well and set aside.
Heat the oil in a wok over a medium heat until hot. Gently lower a few patties into the oil and deep-fry until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towel.
Serve the fish cakes with the dipping sauce while still hot.
Notes
To drink: Try Nitida Semillon 2007, which has grassy tones backed by a citrus zing.
