This post Thai Fish Cakes has been updated in 2022.
Fish Cakes can be dull and boring. But Thai Fish Cakes are AMAZING! A classic Thai street food and my favourite starter at Thai restaurants along with Chicken Satay.
Surprisingly easy to make at home – all you need is fish, red curry paste, egg, rice flour and fish sauce. Make patties, and then pan fry!
Thai fish cakes
Thai Fish Cakes, Thai Chicken Satay or Thai Chicken Satay will be my appetizer at a Thai restaurant 9 out of 10.
These are both possible It is irritatingly expensiveFor what you get, Thai restaurants are the best! $7 for three tiny fish cakes or three tiny skewers with peanut sauce.
Homemade is 80% cheaper – and just as good as takeout!
Thai Fish Cakes, my humble opinion are the best fish cakes in all of Asia!
What Thai Fish Cakes Taste Like
Thai Fish Cakes’ main flavor is red curry paste. This Thai Red Curry recipe will appeal to those who love Thai Red Curry and Thai Red Curry fish.
These fish cakes are unique for their texture. It’s like Asian fish balls, kind of spongey. I know that sounds thoroughly unappetising, to say they are “spongey”, but there’s no other word I can think of! 😂
It’s not an unpleasant texture, it’s just different to other pattie shaped things like fritters and sausage patties!
What do you need?
Thai Fish Cakes: The Best Fish
The majority of white fish fillets that are most commonly found here are delicious and can be used with salmon or trout.
This is a great place to be: Ling, Tilapia, Snapper, Barramundi, Silver Dory, John Dory, Basa, Hokki, Perch, Flathead, Monkfish
Avoid:
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super lean fish (swordfish, tuna)
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delicate fish (flounder, Dover sole)
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Small whole fish such as sardines and mackerel are good options.
The BEST Thai Red Curry Paste – Maesri
When you have a limited amount of curry paste to make this recipe, I prefer to use store-bought Red Curry Paste.
The Thai Red Curry Paste best buy by a long shot is a brand called Maesri. It is the brand I use to make Thai Green Curry. Some brands are less authentic and can be too sweet.
Sold in small cans for around $1.30 (it’s the cheapest!), it’s available in some Aussie large grocery stores (Coles, Woolies, Harris), Asian grocery stores and here is the cheapest one on Amazon US.
**Don’t worry if you can’t find Maesri. Even if you don’t have mainstream curry pastes, this recipe will still be delicious.**
How to make Thai Fish Cakes
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In a food processor, place fish, red curry paste (store bought or homemade), cilantro/coriander and egg in a bowl. Pulse to mince.
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Mix rice, cornflour or cornstarch with green beans.
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Cook the patties.
Simple, right? Do you It is reallyYou need me to write all the recipe for you? (Don’t worry, I did! I always do!)
One note about authenticity
Thai Fish Cakes are a classic Thai street food that you’ll find all over Thailand, from Bangkok to the popular tourist islands like Pukhet and Koh Samui (I really need to go back soon, I miss Thailand!!).
These are 2 things that I do differently from the authentic Thai Fish Cakes:
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Inclusion of rice flour – Truly authentic recipes are made with fish paste which is starchy fish (yes there is such thing!) This paste has been fermented, and it is quite smooth. This paste is then beat for several hours (i.e. This should take 30 minutes. You need to activate the starch to make the fish cakes fluffy and spongey. However, in Western countries, the same texture is achieved by starting with fish fillets, minced them and mixing in either rice flour or cornflour (cornstarch); and
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I don’t deep fry!Thai Fish Cakes, in Thailand as well as restaurants, are deep fried. It is my belief that pan frying rather than deep-frying makes very little difference.
How to make Thai Fish Cakes
Sweet Chilli Sauce can be purchased in a small, convenient bottle at your local grocery store.
Thai Fish Cakes are a popular starter in Thai restaurants.
These side dishes can make it a meal.
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Coconut Rice, Thai Fried Rice (Steamed Jasmine Rice), Coconut Fried Rice, Pineapple Rice or Thai Fried Rice
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Serve Crunchy Asian Slaw as a side dish – Great Asian salad that can be used with any Asian food
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Asian Sesame Dressing to any fresh salad Or steamed vegetables
You will feel a lot more familiar if you try these Fish Cakes. These taste exactly like Thai restaurants. – Nagi x
Thai Takeout Favorites
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Pad Thai – truly just like takeout!
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Thai Red Curry
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Massaman Curry
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Thai Fish Cakes
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Thai Fried Rice
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Thai Cashew Chicken
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Pad See Ew – Thai stir fried noodles
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Explore the Thai Recipe Collection
How to make it
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Thai Fish Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 lb / 500g White fish fillets – skinless and pinboned, cut into chunks. (Note 1
- 3 tbsp red curry paste (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp cilantro/coriander leaves Chop.
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (sub soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp Lime juice
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup (40g). Rice flour Corn flour / cornstarch
- 6 green beans Finely sliced (optional; Note 3)
- 4 – 6 tbsp Oil (vegetable, canola, sun flower)
To Serve
- Sweet chilli sauce
- Cilantro/coriander leaves
- Lime wedges
Instructions
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In a food processor, combine the fish, red curry paste (coriander/coriander), cilantro/coriander and fish sauce with the lime. Blend until the fish looks like a paste. (See video)
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Mix together rice flour, green beans and water in a bowl. (Note 4)
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Take 1/4 cup of the mixture and form 1-cm/2/5″ thick patties.
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Over medium heat, heat enough oil in a skillet to coat the base (4 tbsp).
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Put in oil and cook for 2 minutes. Turn over and cook the opposite side for 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
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Continue with the remaining mixture. If necessary, add more oil to the skillet.
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Serve with Sweet Chilli Sauce. Garnish with cilantro/coriander leaves. For a delicious side, you can add Thai Fried Rice or plain jasmine rice.
Recipe Notes
This is a great place to be: Ling, Tilapia, Snapper, Barramundi, Silver Dory, John Dory, Basa, Hokki, Perch, Flathead, Monkfish
Avoid:
- super lean fish (swordfish, tuna)
- delicate fish (flounder, Dover sole)
- Small whole fish such as sardines and mackerel are good options.
Frozen fish– Thaw completely, dry and then follow the recipe.
2. Red Curry Paste– For fish cakes, I usually use store bought curry paste. However, homemade red curry paste is also possible Double the amount.
Maesri is my favourite store brand. It tastes the best and it’s also very affordable at $1.25 per can. However, any Thai Red Curry Paste can be used.
3. Beans – Thai Fish Cakes use sliced green beans. However, in Australia, you can find it substituted with sliced shallots/scallions at some restaurants.
4. Mixing flour in – It’s tempting to just add the rice flour into the food processor but blitzing too long can activate the starch too much which makes the paste gluey and you end up with really tough fish cakes. There is a difference in the amount of time needed to blitz each fish. It’s safer to mix it in at the end.
5. Ice cream scooperThis is a great recipe for making cookies with a cookie scooper that can lift the batter from the pan. The standard size is 1/4 cups.
6. Storage– Freeze in the fridge for three days. Then heat it up in the microwave. Although I have never frozen it, I see no reason to. Once cooked, fish cakes can be frozen!
7. Nutrition per fish cakeLet’s say 12 fish cakes were made and that 6 tbsp oil was used.
Nutrition Information:
Original publication April 2016. We have made minor updates to the recipe, including new photos and video.
LIFE OF ZER
Dozer uses ME as his pillow during weekend Nana Naps. It’s the wrong way round – I should be laying MY head on his fluffy, soft mass!! 😂
Flashback to the original publication of this recipe:
Life As Dozer: A Snippet. He basically has 4 modes: playing, sleeping, eating food or hoping for food. He lives a hard, hard life, doesn’t he?
