Thai Red Curry Fish Cakes with Cucumber Relish

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Springy, bright-orange fish cakes built in a food processor from white fish and red curry paste, then slapped against the bowl until the paste turns tacky and bouncy — the step that separates real tod mun pla from a soft fritter. Shallow-fried in an inch of oil in a regular skillet, no deep fryer needed, and served with a sweet-sour cucumber relish and crushed peanuts.

Ingredients

• 1 lb skinless white fish fillets (cod, haddock, tilapia or rockfish), cut into 1-inch chunks
• 3 tbsp Thai red curry paste (Maesri or Mae Ploy)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, cold
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp cold water or ice water
• 4 makrut (kaffir) lime leaves, center rib removed, sliced hair-thin
• 3 oz green beans or long beans, sliced into 1/8-inch coins (about 3/4 cup)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Persian cucumber, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp finely diced shallot
• 1 red Thai chile or Fresno chile, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp roasted peanuts, coarsely crushed
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

• 3 cups neutral oil (canola, peanut or vegetable), for shallow-frying
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Spread the fish chunks on a plate in a single layer and freeze for 15 minutes, until firm at the edges but not solid. Cold fish grinds into a tight, sticky paste instead of smearing into mush — this is the foundation of the bouncy texture.
2. Make the relish: combine the rice vinegar, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring just until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Pour into a bowl and cool to room temperature (set the bowl in ice water to speed it up). Stir in the cucumber, shallot, and chile. Hold at room temperature; add the peanuts and cilantro right before serving so they stay crunchy.
3. Put the chilled fish, red curry paste, fish sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Pulse 10 to 12 times to break down the fish, then run continuously for 45 to 60 seconds, scraping the sides once, until you have a smooth, uniformly orange paste with no visible flakes.
4. Add the cold egg, cornstarch, and 2 tablespoons cold water. Process for another 45 to 60 seconds — the paste should thicken and start climbing the sides of the bowl in a single tacky mass. If it looks loose, run it 20 seconds longer; if the machine bogs down, add 1 more tablespoon cold water.
5. Scrape the paste into a wide bowl. Now build the bounce: gather it into a ball, lift it, and throw it back down against the side of the bowl hard. Repeat 25 to 30 times, about 2 minutes total, until the paste is visibly springier, glossier, and pulls away from your fingers cleanly. Fold in the sliced makrut lime leaves and green beans by hand. Cover and refrigerate 20 minutes (or up to 4 hours) — cold paste holds its shape in hot oil.
6. Pour the oil into a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet or cast-iron pan to a depth of 3/4 inch and heat over medium until it reaches 340°F to 350°F on an instant-read thermometer. Set a wire rack over a sheet pan nearby.
7. With lightly oiled hands, scoop about 2 tablespoons of paste and pat it into a disc 2 1/2 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick — thin cakes cook through before the outside darkens. Fry one test cake for 2 minutes per side: it should puff slightly and feel springy, not dense. Taste it and adjust the remaining paste with more fish sauce or curry paste if needed.
8. Fry the cakes in batches of 4 or 5, never crowding the pan, for 2 to 3 minutes per side until deep golden-orange and firm, with an internal temperature of 145°F. Adjust the burner to keep the oil between 335°F and 350°F. Drain on the rack, not paper towels, so the crust stays crisp.
9. Stir the peanuts and cilantro into the cucumber relish and pile the warm fish cakes on a platter with the relish alongside and lime wedges for squeezing. Serve within 15 minutes, while the exteriors are still crackly.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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