Light Bites Recipes - Thai Fish Cakes with Egg Recipe

Ingredients

• 225g/8oz smoked haddock

• 225g/8oz fresh cod or haddock

• 1 small fresh red chili, seeded and finely chopped garlic cloves, chopped

• 1 lemon grass stalk, chopped

• 2 large spring onions (scallions), chopped

• 30ml/2 tbsp fish sauce

• 60ml/4 tbsp thick coconut milk

• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

• 15ml/1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)

• 15ml/1 tbsp corn flour (cornstarch), plus more for molding

• oil, for frying

• soy sauce, rice vinegar and/or fish sauce, for dipping

Makes about 20

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Method:

1. Remove the skin and any bones from the fish. Set the white fish aside and place the smoked fish in a bowl of cold water. Leave to soak for 10 minutes.

2. Drain and dry well on kitchen paper. Chop the smoked and fresh fish roughly and place in a food processor.

3. Add the chili, garlic, lemon grass, spring onion, fish sauce and coconut milk and process until fish is well blended with the spices. Add the eggs and coriander and blend for further few seconds. Scrape into a bowl cover and chill for 1 hour.

4. To make the fish cakes, coat your hands with corn flour and shape large teaspoonfuls of fish mixture into neat balls, lightly coating each with the corn flour.

5. Heat 5-7.5cm/2-3in oil in a medium pan until it is hot enough to turn a crust of bread golden in about 1 minute. Fry the fish balls, 5-6 at a time, Turing them carefully wit  a slotted spoon for 2-3 minutes, until they turn golden all over.

6. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Keep the cooked fish cakes warm in a low oven until you have finished frying them all.

7. Serve immediately with one or more of the dipping sauce.