Makes: 16 cakes • Time: 35 minutes
Every city has it’s own street food: New York has sweet peanuts and hot dogs. Rio de Janeiro its signature popcorn. Paris its crêpes. In Thailand, it’s fish cakes that street vendors sell on every corner. Here, Matt Powell incorporates Nittaya’s curry paste into the basic fish cake recipe to make an appetizer that’s bursting with flavor.
INGREDIENTS
Cucumber Relish:
- ½ English cucumber, cut into thin strips
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 Fresno chilies, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
Fish Cakes:
- 1 lb. whitefish fillets, finely ground
- ¼ lb. green beans, ends trimmed and thinly sliced
- 2½ Tbsp. cornstarch
- 1½ Tbsp. Nittaya curry paste (green or red both work)
- 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
- Zest of 2 limes
- Salt
- Peanut oil, for deep-frying
DIRECTIONS
1. To make the cucumber relish, combine the cucumber, shallot, chilies, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Mix until evenly distributed, then refrigerate to marinate.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, combine the fish, green beans, cornstarch, curry paste, fish sauce, lime zest, and salt. Knead for 1 minute. Roll the dough into 16 small balls and flatten them into patties about ½ inch thick.
3. Fill a heavy frying pan with peanut oil to a depth of about 1 inch and heat over medium-high heat. Carefully add half of the patties into the oil and fry until golden, about 3 minutes, then flip to fry the other side, about 3 minutes more. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the patties to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining patties.
4. Serve hot with the cucumber relish on the side.
