South-east Asian Pot Luck Part 2 - Spicy Thai Fish Cakes with Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce

As well as the chicken satay, I also made some spicy thai fish cakes for the recent pot luck dinner I hosted. This recipe came from Radio New Zealand of all places, but the recipe is actually one of Annabel Langbein's. I like this one because it has fresh fish and the ingredients list doesn't feature anything too wacky.

1 spring onion
1 red chilli
Zest of a lime or a lemon
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger - or if you're a bit lazy like me, use the jar stuff
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/4 cup coconut cream - I used coconut milk as I had it left over from the peanut sauce and whilst it still worked, I think coconut cream would have given them a slightly better texture.
1 egg white
500g boneless fresh white fish - I used cod

Put all ingredients into the food processor except the fish and blend to a fine paste. You could also use a hand blender if you don't have a processor. Add half the fish and blend again until smooth. Chop up the rest of the fish and mix it in by hand to keep the mixture a bit chunky. Make into balls around the size of walnuts and flatten into patties. The recipe said to barbeque or grill them, but I just fried them in a little oil on the stove. Cook the patties for about 2 minutes each side until they feel bouncy when you touch them and are slightly browned. I put them on some paper towels once cooked, just to soak up a bit of the excess oil. You can make these ahead of time and reheat in a hot oven for 4-5 minutes, however I think it's better to make them ahead of time, put them in the fridge and then cook them fresh right before you're ready to eat them. Serve with a sweet chilli dipping sauce, simply made by combining the following:


1/4 cup sweet chilli sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
Juice of 1 lime - or lime juice if the real thing is too pricey
2 tablespoons of chopped coriander

These fish cakes are really fresh tasting with the fish, coconut ginger and lime flavours. Not blending all the fish also gives them a great texture.

I'm pretty lucky to have some awesome friends who also happen to be excellent cooks and always made an effort for these sort of nights. Check out the spread below!