Sesame fishcakes with spiral salad

These light fishcakes are pan-fried in coconut oil for extra flavour then served atop spiralled crunchy veggies.

Credit: Donal's Cook, Eat, Burn

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 450 g skinless white fish fillets, such as haddock or cod, cut into large chunks
• 1 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp red curry paste
• 1 red chilli, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• large handful of fresh coriander, stalks and leaves, roughly chopped
• zest and juice of 1 lime
• 3–4 spring onions, finely sliced
• 3 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• sweet chilli dipping sauce, to serve

Thai salad

• 1 tsp caster sugar
• zest and juice of 1 lime
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• large handful of peanuts, toasted
• 1 carrot, spiralised or julienned
• 1 cucumber, spiralized or julienned
• 3–4 spring onions, finely sliced
• large handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped

Instructions

1. Place the fish in a food processor and blitz for 3 seconds or so until smooth. Add the fish sauce, egg, curry paste, chilli, garlic, ginger, coriander stalks and lime zest and juice and blitz again until everything is combined and the mixture begins to ball together and become thicker. Remove the blade from the food processor and stir through the coriander leaves and spring onions.

2. With damp hands, form the mixture into 12 balls and flatten to make fishcakes. Roll each one in the sesame seeds to coat.

3. Heat the coconut oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the fishcakes in two batches for about 2–3 minutes on each side. Remove with a fish slice and drain on a plate lined with a paper towel.

4. Whisk together the caster sugar, lime zest and juice, fish sauce and chilli in a large bowl until the caster sugar has dissolved. Crush the peanuts roughly in a pestle and mortar.

5. Add the carrot, cucumber, spring onions and mint leaves to the dressing. Toss everything together until the salad is completely coated in the dressing. Stir through the peanuts, reserving about a tablespoon.

6. Serve the salad topped with the fishcakes. Drizzle with sweet chilli sauce and scatter over the reserved peanuts.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.