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Fishcakes
Serves 12 Prep 15 min Cook 10 min Total 25 min Type Snack Origin Thai

Fishcakes

Thailand's tod mun pla: minced fish blended with red curry paste, kaffir lime leaf and green beans.

Serves 12 Prep 15 minutes Cook 10 minutes Units Rate

Overview

Thai fishcakes (often called ‘tod mun pla’ on menus) are known for their spongy consistency, which I’m not fond of; that sponginess comes from the egg, so I tend to leave it out. Fishcakes are usually deep-fried in street stalls and restaurants, but I find it much easier to shallow-fry them. These are great served with sweet chilli sauce, Thai seafood dipping sauce and/or cucumber and chilli relish.

Ingredients

Protein

  • 500g (1lb 2oz) meaty fish fillets, such as lemon sole, cod or salmon, skinned

Aromatics

  • 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander (cilantro) (optional)
  • 3 lime leaves, stalks removed and finely julienned
  • 2 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
  • 8 green (string) beans, thinly sliced

Seasoning

  • 3-4 tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste
  • 1 tbsp Thai fish sauce (gluten-free brands are available)
  • 1 tbsp lime juice

Sweeteners

  • 1 tsp sugar (optional)

Other

  • 1 egg (medium, optional)
  • 1 tbsp tapioca starch

Fat

  • 5 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil

Method

Stage 1 - Prepare Paste

  1. Place the fish in a food processor.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients up to and including the lime juice. If you are using egg for a spongier fishcake, add it at this point too.
  3. Blend until you have a fine fish paste. It is worth blending for a few minutes as the heat from your blender will help thicken the paste.

Stage 2 - Mix

  1. Transfer to a bowl and add the tapioca starch, lime leaves, spring onions (scallions) and beans and mix well with your hand.
  2. Divide into twelve patties.
  3. I often fry a spoonful of the paste to test for seasoning, then adjust if necessary.

Stage 3 - Cook

  1. Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat.
  2. Fry the fishcakes, in batches of about three or four, for about 2 minutes on one side, then flip over to cook the other side until they are nicely browned and cooked through.
  3. Each batch should only take about 4 minutes.
  4. Serve hot.

Notes

  • Egg is optional for sponginess.

Serving

Serve hot with sweet chilli sauce, Thai seafood dipping sauce and/or cucumber and chilli relish.

Storage

  • Best served immediately; can be kept warm for 10 mins. Refrigerate leftovers for 1 day.

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