Thai Fish Cakes
Thai Fish Cakes (Tod Mun Pla) are springy, bouncy patties made by pounding white fish with red curry paste and kaffir lime leaf, then shallow-frying until golden. Served with a sweet-tangy cucumber relish, they're chewy inside and crisp outside.
By YumYum Editorial · Thai
Prep: 25 min · Cook: 15 min · Total: 40 min · Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb white fish fillet (cod, haddock, or snapper), cubed and chilled
- 3 tbsp red curry paste
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 4 kaffir lime leaves, very thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup long beans or green beans, thinly sliced
- to taste vegetable oil, for shallow-frying
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup sugar (for relish)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, crushed
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 red chile, sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Pulse chilled fish in a food processor with curry paste, egg, fish sauce, and sugar until it forms a sticky, slightly tacky paste — do not overprocess into a smooth puree.
- Transfer to a bowl and fold in sliced kaffir lime leaves and long beans by hand.
- Wet your hands and shape the mixture into patties about 2.5 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick.
- Meanwhile, make the relish: simmer rice vinegar, sugar, and water until slightly syrupy, then cool and stir in cucumber, shallots, and half the peanuts.
- Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet to 325°F (medium heat) — too hot and the outside burns before the center cooks.
- Fry the fish cakes in batches, 3-4 minutes per side, until deep golden brown and firm to the touch.
- Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.
- Plate the fish cakes and spoon the cucumber relish generously over or alongside.
- Garnish with remaining crushed peanuts and sliced red chile before serving warm.