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Thai fishcakes with cucumber pickle
Makes 24 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 500g white fish fillets, such as cod or ling
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 coriander roots, washed and chopped
- 4 shallots, finely sliced
- 4 long red chillies, halved, seeded and finely chopped
- 4cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 1tbsp fish sauce
- 5 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
- 60g green beans, finely sliced
- 75ml rice vinegar
- 2bsp caster sugar
- 1 cucumber, finely sliced
- juice 1 lime
- 4 sprigs coriander, leaves
- picked and coarsely chopped
- 2tbsp peanuts, toasted, crushed
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Method
Mince the fish in a food processor or blender for a few seconds. It doesn't have to be blended completely: a little texture is good.
Pound the garlic, coriander roots, 1 shallot, 3 red chillies, the ginger and 1⁄2tsp salt using a pestle and mortar until you have a smooth paste. Add to a bowl with the minced fish, fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves and green beans. Thoroughly mix together, kneading with your fingers.
Lightly oil your hands and roll
the mixture into 24 small balls
and place them on an oiled tray.
Transfer to the refrigerator to chill
for 30 minutes.
While the fishcakes are chilling, make the cucumber pickle. Warm the rice vinegar, sugar and 1⁄2tsp salt in a non-reactive saucepan to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for 1 minute, then leave to cool. When the vinegar mixture is cool, add the cucumber, the remaining shallots and chillies, and stir gently. Add the lime juice, chopped coriander and toasted peanuts. Set aside until needed.
When you're ready to fry the fishcakes, pat them into rounds about 5cm wide and 1cm thick.
Fry the fishcakes in small
batches for 2-3 minutes until
browned. Drain well on a kitchen
paper and serve alongside the
cucumber pickle.
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