A platter of Thai Fish Cakes and someone dipping one into the sweet chile sauce.

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From all the social media I’m seeing it looks like a lot of you are staying home, as we should be, and cooking up a storm. This is a great time to try your hand at baking or cooking; old recipes you haven’t made for a long time or something new that sounds interesting. How about making some Thai Fish Cakes?

These Fish Cakes are close to the traditional ones sold on the streets in Thailand and we love them. They contain red curry paste for a punch of flavour and a good measure of heat. Green beans add some crunch to the spongy texture and the finishing touch comes from the sweetness of the dipping sauce. It brings down the heat and provides an explosion of flavour in your mouth.

Thai A plate of Thai Fish Cakes made with red curry paste.

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Curry Paste

I love curry paste and most often have a tub of both yellow curry paste and red curry paste in my fridge. Then I spend the next six months making recipes to use it up but as soon as it’s empty I’m back at the store buying it again.

When it comes to curry paste you can make it in only a few minutes, if you have the 13 ingredients required. Store bought curry paste is gluten free and can easily be purchased online and in Asian markets.

In my house we’ve decided that two tablespoons of red curry paste is plenty hot enough for us but you’ll have to figure out the heat factor to suit your own taste buds.

Yardlong Beans

I used regular green beans in this recipe. In Thailand fish cakes are typically made with very long beans called yardlong beans. These beans are also called, Chinese long beans, asparagus bean or snake beans. They can grow to be a yard long but are more commonly picked when about one and a half feet long. I do see them in the Asian section at the grocery store but regular green beans provide the intended crunch.

Chile Sauce – Chile vs Chili vs Chilli

There are no chiles in this recipe but rather they are an ingredient in the curry paste. For these fish cakes it is the store bought chile sauce  served for dipping that I’m talking about.

There are many brands of Thai Sweet Chile sauce and they would typically be gluten free. This brand, A Taste Of Thai, says gluten free on the bottle. Serve any sweet chile sauce but do not substitute a fiery hot sauce like Sriracha or sambal oelek.

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A platter of Thai Fish Cakes served with sweet chile sauce.

Get The Tools

The best kitchen tool for making fish cakes is an ice cream scoop. Portion scoops make the job easy plus make uniform sized fish cakes that cook evenly and look nice on the plate. I have three sizes of scoops and use them for everything from cookies to meatballs.

I have always made this recipe using my Cuisinart food processor. If you don’t have one try cutting the fish by hand but to get the unique spongy texture of Thai fish cakes a food processor works best.

I’d love to hear in the comments below if you tried these fish cakes and what you thought.

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Ingredients

1 lb (454 g) cod, cut into chunks
2 Tbsp red curry paste
1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 egg
¼ cup white rice flour
½ cup green beans, sliced thin
6 Tbsp oil for frying
SERVING – Thai sweet chile sauce, cilantro and lime wedges

Directions

1
Place cut up fish in food processor and pulse a few times.
2
Then add curry paste, cilantro, fish sauce, lime juice and egg. Pulse until combined and the fish is finely minced but not mushy.
3
Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with rice flour and green beans. Stir until evenly mixed.
4
Using a portion scoop (mine measures 3 Tbsp), portion mixture onto a baking tray lined with wax paper or parchment. Gently pat mixture into patties about ½ inch thick.
5
Heat generous amount of oil in skillet over medium high heat.
6
Gently place fish cakes in oil and cook 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Transfer to plate lined with paper towel. Keep warm until they are all cooked. Add more oil to the pan as needed.
7
Serve with Thai Sweet Chile Sauce for dipping.
8
Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.

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Ingredients

Directions
  • 1 lb (454 g) cod, cut into chunks
  • 2 Tbsp red curry paste
  • 1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 Tbsp lime juice
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup white rice flour
  • ½ cup green beans, sliced thin
  • 6 Tbsp oil for frying
  • SERVING – Thai sweet chile sauce, cilantro and lime wedges
  1. Place cut up fish in food processor and pulse a few times.
  2. Then add curry paste, cilantro, fish sauce, lime juice and egg. Pulse until combined and the fish is finely minced but not mushy.
  3. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with rice flour and green beans. Stir until evenly mixed.
  4. Using a portion scoop (mine measures 3 Tbsp), portion mixture onto a baking tray lined with wax paper or parchment. Gently pat mixture into patties about ½ inch thick.
  5. Heat generous amount of oil in skillet over medium high heat.
  6. Gently place fish cakes in oil and cook 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Transfer to plate lined with paper towel. Keep warm until they are all cooked. Add more oil to the pan as needed.
  7. Serve with Thai Sweet Chile Sauce for dipping.
  8. Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.