Thai fish cakes

These Thai fish cakes with cucumber relish are a classic street food favourite you can easily recreate at home. Light, springy, and full of bold, aromatic flavours, they’re made from fresh white fish blended with fragrant red curry paste, finely sliced kaffir lime leaves, and crisp green beans.

Fried until golden and crispy on the outside, the fish cakes are beautifully balanced with a simple, refreshing cucumber relish — a quick pickle of cucumber, vinegar, sugar, and chili that cuts through the richness of the fish and adds a cooling, tangy contrast.

This recipe is everything a good Thai fish cake should be: crispy, bouncy, and bursting with zesty, herbaceous flavours. Serve them as an appetiser, part of a Thai banquet, or a flavour-packed snack with an ice-cold beer.

Prep Time29

Cook Time10

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: Thai

Keyword: Thai fish cakes

Servings: approx 14 pieces

Calories: 72kcal

Author: Jeff

Equipment

1 chopping board
1 knife
1 food processor
1 Mixing bowl
1 wooden spoon
1 ice cream scoop for measuring
1 frying pan to cook the fishcakes

Ingredients

600 g White fish fillets white non oily fish
140 g Red curry paste
1 55g Egg
100 g Snake or green beans
6 g Kaffir lime leaf
60 g white sugar
40 g Fish sauce

Instructions

Weigh and measure all the ingredients
Dice the fish, green beans and finely chop the kaffir lime leaf.
Blend and puree the fish in a food processor.
Place in a mixing bowl large enough to mix all the ingredients
Beat the egg
Mix all the dry ingredients together
Then mix the egg and fish sauce until incorporated. Whip it by hand until it is smooth and fluffy.
Portion the cakes with an ice cream scoop
Flatten the cakes and place on plastic wrap of baking paper to avoid sticking.
Cook in a frying pan with approx 5 ml of vegetable oil until golden brown

Notes

Choose the right fish:
Use a firm, white-fleshed fish like barramundi, snapper, or cod. Avoid oily fish like salmon or mackerel as they’ll overpower the delicate flavours.
Keep your fish cold:
For the best texture, make sure your fish is well-chilled before blending. A cold mixture helps create that classic bouncy, springy texture in the finished fish cakes.
Finely slice the kaffir lime leaves:
They can be tough if too thick. Stack them, roll tightly, and slice as finely as possible into thin threads to release their oils and fragrance.
Use an ice cream scoop or wet hands:
The mixture can be sticky to handle. Lightly wet your hands or use an ice cream scoop to portion and shape the fish cakes easily.
Control your oil temperature:
Fry on medium heat — too hot and the outside will brown too quickly before the inside cooks through. Aim for a gentle sizzle.
Don’t overcrowd the pan:
Fry in small batches to maintain the oil temperature and ensure crisp, even cooking.
Relish can be made ahead:
The cucumber relish is even better after sitting for 15–30 minutes, allowing the flavours to meld.

Nutrition