Thai fish cakes with cucumber relish (tod mun pla)
50 min · 29 g protein · 254 cals / serving
Springy, deeply savoury fish cakes flecked with red curry paste and crunchy rings of green bean, browned in a skillet until crisp at the edges. They come with ajad, a sweet-sour cucumber relish with shallot, chilli and crushed peanuts that cuts right through them. Wrap each one in a lettuce leaf with a few herbs and a spoonful of relish, the way they are eaten at Thai markets.
Ingredients
Fish cakes
- 1 1/2 lb pacific cod, pollock or other white fish, skinless, in chunks, well chilled
- 3 tbsp thai curry paste, red
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 lb green beans, or long beans, in thin rings
- 1 tbsp canola oil, divided
Cucumber relish
- 1 large cucumber, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 small red chili peppers, thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp roasted unsalted peanuts, crushed
To serve
- 1 large head butterhead lettuce, leaves separated
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, sprigs
- 1 handful fresh basil, Thai basil if you can find it
Steps
- Make the relish: warm the vinegar, sugar and salt just until the sugar dissolves, cool, then pour over the cucumber, shallot and chilli in a bowl. Chill while you make the fish cakes.
- Pat the fish dry and blitz it in a food processor with the curry paste, fish sauce, egg, cornstarch and sugar for 1–2 minutes, until it forms a smooth, sticky paste that pulls away from the sides. Finely shred 4 makrut lime leaves into it if you have them.
- Scrape the paste into a bowl and fold in the green beans. With wet hands, slap the paste against the side of the bowl a dozen times (this makes the cakes springy), then shape into 16 flat patties about 6 cm (2 1/2 inches) across.
- Heat half the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Fry half the cakes 2–3 minutes a side, until puffed, browned and cooked through (145°F in the centre). Repeat with the rest of the oil and cakes.
- Scatter the peanuts over the relish and serve the hot fish cakes with the relish, lettuce leaves, cilantro and basil for wrapping.
Good to know
Can I bake or air-fry them?
Yes. Brush or spray the cakes lightly with oil and air-fry at 400°F for 8–10 minutes, turning once, or bake on a lined sheet at 425°F for 12–14 minutes. They brown less but stay just as bouncy, and come out a little lighter: a score of about 84 instead of 79.
Why are mine soft instead of springy?
The fish must be cold and the paste worked hard: blitz until sticky, then slap it against the bowl. Warm fish or a short mix gives soft, crumbly cakes.
Can I make them ahead?
Shape them up to a day ahead and keep covered in the fridge, or freeze them raw on a tray. The relish keeps 2 days but is crunchiest on the day.
Per
- Calories
- 65
- Protein
- (46%)
- 7 g
- Fat
- (30%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (24%)
- 4 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 256 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1015 kcal goes into the pot and 1646 g of ingredients comes out as about 1550 g of food: 65 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.