Thai-style fishcakes with sweet chili sauce
- 8 ounces skinless white fish fillets, such as hake, whiting, or pollack
- 8 ounces peeled shrimp, deveined and roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
- ½ cup coconut milk
- finely grated zest of 1 lime
- small handful of cilantro, minced
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon palm or light brown sugar
- 2 ounces fine green beans, very finely sliced into rounds (about ½ cup)
- 1 scallion, finely sliced into rounds
- 2–3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- peanut or sunflower oil for frying
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1½-inch piece of fresh ginger, roughly chopped
- small handful of cilantro leaves
- 3 long, fresh, red chili peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped
- juice of 1 large lime
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
Instructions:
These light and flavorsome fishcakes are so easy to make, and they don’t need to be coated in bread crumbs.
- First, make the chili sauce. Place the sugar in a small, heavy-based saucepan with 3–4 tablespoons of water. Stir to dissolve the sugar, then bring to a boil and boil until the syrup has caramelized to a light golden color, 5–8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the garlic, ginger, cilantro leaves, chili peppers, and lime juice in a food processor and blitz to a coarse paste. When the sugar syrup has reached a light golden caramel color, carefully add the wet paste (stand back, because the caramel will sputter and spit). Stir in the fish and soy sauces. Return to a simmer, stirring frequently to dissolve any caramel that has hardened, then immediately take the pan off the heat. Let cool completely before spooning into individual dipping bowls.
- To make the fishcakes, cut the fish into rough chunks, discarding any bones you come across, then put in a food processor with the shrimp. Add the curry paste, coconut milk, lime zest, cilantro, fish sauce, sugar, and a little salt and pepper. Pulse to a rough and sticky paste—don’t overprocess the fish—then transfer to a bowl and stir in the chopped green beans and scallion.
- Put the flour into a shallow dish. Divide the fish mixture into 12 or 16 pieces. With wet hands, roll each piece into a ball, then flatten into a round patty and coat lightly with flour. Heat 1 inch of oil in a wide frying pan and fry the fishcakes in batches until golden brown, 1–1½ minutes on each side. As the fishcakes are cooked, drain on paper towels. Serve the fishcakes warm, with the sweet chili sauce for dipping.