My version of crispy Thai fish cakes are a hot and spicy alternative to plain old fish cakes and can be served with a dipping sauce or crunchy sliced pickled cucumber sambal.
My desire to eat Cape Malay Pickled Fish and hot cross buns was dealt a cruel blow by the lack of suitable fish. After visits to three different supermarkets I was unable to find any fresh firm white fish that could stand up to pickling. Something fishy indeed!
My preferred fish is snoek, or Thyrsites atun, a species of mackerel (according to Wikipaedia) found in the seas around the coastal areas of the Western Cape. Elsewhere in the southern hemisphere it is known as barracouta (no relation to barracuda) and is most often exported internationally under that name. It is an oily fish with a strong flavor and shiny skin with fine scales.
My father loved eating the snoek heads boiled with salt, pepper, onion, potato and a bay leaf. It is lovely smoked and used in paté or lightly fried in butter and served for breakfast with freshly baked bread, tomato and chutney.
A traditional Cape Malay recipe uses salted and dried snoek that has been rehydrated to make a dish called smoorsnoek. The rehydrated fish is flaked then sautéed with onions, cabbage, potatoes and chili. The closest recipe to how my mother used to make it is on a UK website of all places. Check and search for smoorsnoek.
My mother’s Cape Malay Pickled Fish (Ingelegde vis) was something to behold. Fried snoek that had been marinated in fish masala for no more than 30 minutes, then covered in a blanket of blanched onion rings, and pickled in a mixture of grape vinegar, sugar, bay leaves, all spice and cloves. Served with buttered spicy hot cross buns (now available throughout the year) it was one of our favorite treats at any time of the year.
Our neighbor told me earlier this year that in the ‘old days’ people made pickled fish after New Year to cleanse the system from the excesses of the festive season. He took pity on me and asked his wife to make pickled fish before I returned to Dubai. That was the last meal I enjoyed before leaving for the airport that day.
So, instead of pickled fish, I am experimenting with other types of fish and seafood recipes. I had thought of fish pie, but the amount of cream, potatoes or pastry involved, made me feel slightly queasy.
I settled on Thai fish cakes with cucumber dipping sauce instead, and it was delicious and light.
Crispy Thai Fish cakes with dipping sauce
Ingredients
Fish cakes
- 350 grams cod fillets cut into chunks
- 200 grams shrimps
- 60 ml fresh coriander leaves and stalks approximately 4 tbsp
- 1 lime zest and juice
- 10 ml sugar approximately 2 tsp
- 2 spring onions very finely sliced into rounds (including the green parts)
- 30 ml Thai Red Curry Paste approximately 2 tbsp
- 1 green chilli
- 1 egg
- 30 ml fish sauce for seasoning approximately 2 tbsp
- Oil for frying
Dipping sauce
- 200 g granulated white sugar approximately 250 ml or 1 cup
- 250 ml white grape vinegar approximately 1 cup
- 5 ml salt approximately 1 teaspoon
- 5 ml red chili flakes approximately 1 teaspoon
- 280 g small cucumber, sliced and seeds removed approximately 2 small
Optional
- 30 g roasted peanuts, finely chopped approximately 3 tablespoons
Instructions
Fish cakes
- Place the fish, prawns, lime zest and juice, brown sugar, curry paste and egg in a blender and pulse until the texture is fine but not pureed.
- The egg will serve as a binder for the fish mixture.
- Add the finely chopped coriander and spring onions and mix thoroughly.
- Fry a small amount to test the seasoning before beginning to make the fish cakes. Add more chili, fish sauce or lime juice to taste.
- Use a tablespoon or small ice cream scoop to make balls of the same size and flatten slightly into disks.
- Place on a lined baking sheet and cover with clingwrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 60 minutes.
- Heat the oil until it begins to shimmer then fry the fish cakes for 1 minute on each side, or until cooked through.
Dipping sauce
- Place the sugar, vinegar, salt and chili flakes into a pot and bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and leave to cool.
- Add the sliced cucumbers to a bowl and pour over the cooled sugar vinegar mixture.
- Add the chopped coriander leaves and the finely chopped roasted peanuts, if using.
- Serve with the fish cakes.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information for the recipe is an approximation and varies according to the ingredients and products used.
If you liked the recipe above please consider rating the recipe and leaving a comment below. Also keep in touch on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for more updates.
Don’t forget to share the recipe with your family and friends and #tantalisemytastebuds if you share one of my recipes that you made on Instagram!
Want more? To get new recipes delivered straight to your inbox, join our club and subscribe to Tantalise My Taste Buds.
