Fish Cakes can be so dull and boring. But THAI Fish Cakes are FABULOUS! A classic Thai street food and my favourite starter at Thai restaurants along with Chicken Satay.
Surprisingly easy to make at home – all you need is fish, red curry paste, egg, rice flour and fish sauce. Blitz, make patties and pan fry!
Thai fish cakes
If I order an appetiser at a Thai restaurant, 9 times out of 10 it will either be Thai Fish Cakes or Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce.
And both of these are irritatingly pricey at Thai restaurants for what you get! $7 for 3 piddly little fish cakes or 3 teeny tiny skewers with a midget tub of peanut sauce.
Homemade is 80% cheaper – and just as good as takeout!
Thai Fish Cakes are (in my humble opinion) the most fabulous fish cakes in the world!
What Thai Fish Cakes taste like
The main flavouring in Thai Fish Cakes is red curry paste, so if you love Thai Red Curry, fish and food made to be eaten with hands, then this has got your name written all over it!
The unique thing about these fish cakes is the texture. It’s like Asian fish balls, kind of spongey. I know that sounds thoroughly unappetising, to say they are “spongey”, but there’s no other word I can think of! 😂
It’s not an unpleasant texture, it’s just different to other pattie shaped things like fritters and sausage patties!
What you need
Best fish for Thai Fish Cakes
Most of the most common white fish fillets are great here, also very tasty with salmon and trout.
Great for: Ling, Tilapia, Snapper, Barramundi, Silver Dory, John Dory, Basa, Hokki, Perch, Flathead, Monkfish
Avoid:
- super lean fish (swordfish, tuna)
- delicate fish (flounder, Dover sole)
- small whole fish like sardines or mackerel
The BEST Thai Red Curry Paste – Maesri
For recipes like this where you only need a few tablespoons of curry paste, I typically use store bought rather than homemade Red Curry Paste.
The best store bought Thai Red Curry Paste by a long shot is a brand called Maesri. This is also the brand I use for Thai Green Curry. Other brands tend to have less authentic flavour and are (usually) too sweet.
Sold in small cans for around $1.30 (it’s the cheapest!), it’s available in some Aussie large grocery stores (Coles, Woolies, Harris), Asian grocery stores and here is the cheapest one on Amazon US.
**Don’t worry if you can’t find Maesri. This recipe is still great even with mainstream curry pastes.**
How to make Thai Fish Cakes
Place fish, red curry paste (homemade or store bought), cilantro/coriander, egg, lime juice and fish sauce in a food processor, whizz to mince;
Mix in rice or cornflour (cornstarch) and green beans; and
Form patties and cook.
Simple, right? Do you really need me to write out the whole recipe for you??? (Don’t worry, I did! I always do!)
A note on authenticity!
Thai Fish Cakes are a classic Thai street food that you’ll find all over Thailand, from Bangkok to the popular tourist islands like Pukhet and Koh Samui (I really need to go back soon, I miss Thailand!!).
Here are the 2 things I do differently to the real authentic Fish Cakes made in Thailand:
Inclusion of rice flour – Truly authentic recipes are made with fish paste which is starchy fish (yes there is such thing!) that has been fermented and is a pretty smooth paste. This is then beaten for ages (i.e. 30 minutes by hand!) to activate the starch and this is the secret to beautifully bouncy, spongey fish cakes. However, in Western countries, the same texture is achieved by starting with fish fillets, minced them and mixing in either rice flour or cornflour (cornstarch); and
I don’t deep fry! In both Thailand and restaurants, Thai Fish Cakes are deep fried. I really believe that very little compromise is made by pan frying instead of deep frying!
How to serve Thai Fish Cakes
A simple store bought bottle of Sweet Chilli Sauce serves well as a convenient version of the dipping sauces you get at Thai restaurants.
In terms of what to serve it with, Thai Fish Cakes are typically served as a starter at Thai restaurants.
To make a meal out of it, try these on the side:
Steamed Jasmine rice, Thai Fried Rice, Pineapple Fried Rice or Coconut Rice
Crunchy Asian Slaw on the side – great all rounder Asian salad that goes with all Asian foods
Asian Sesame Dressing for any fresh salad or steamed vegetables
If you try these Fish Cakes, and I really hope you do, all it will take is one bite to be overwhelmed by a sense of familiarity. These really do taste just like what you get at Thai restaurants! – Nagi x
More Thai takeout favourites
Pad Thai – truly just like takeout!
Pad See Ew – Thai stir fried noodles
Browse the Thai recipe collection
Watch how to make it
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Thai Fish Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 lb / 500g white fish fillets , skinless and pin boned, cut into chunks (Note 1)
- 3 tbsp red curry paste (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp cilantro/coriander leaves , chopped
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (sub soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup (40g) rice flour (or cornstarch / corn flour)
- 6 green beans , finely sliced (optional, Note 3)
- 4 – 6 tbsp oil (vegetable, canola, sun flower)
To Serve
- Sweet chilli sauce
- Cilantro/coriander leaves
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Place fish, red curry paste, cilantro/coriander, fish sauce, lime and egg in a food processor. Whizz until the fish is minced and it looks like a paste. (See video)
- Transfer to a bowl and stir through rice flour and green beans until flour is all incorporated. (Note 4)
- Measure 1/4 cup of mixture (I use an ice cream scoop – Note 5), form 1cm / 2/5″ thick patties.
- Heat enough oil in skillet over medium high heat to cover the base (4 tbsp or so)
- Place in oil, cook 2 minutes until deep golden brown, then turn and cook the other side for 2 minutes. Transfer to paper towel lined plate.
- Repeat with remaining mixture, adding more oil into the skillet if required.
- Serve with Sweet Chilli Sauce, garnished with cilantro/coriander leaves and lime wedges on the side. Add a side of Thai Fried Rice or even just plain jasmine rice to make a meal!
Recipe Notes:
- super lean fish (swordfish, tuna)
- delicate fish (flounder, Dover sole)
- small whole fish like sardines or mackerel
Nutrition Information:
Originally published April 2016. Minor recipe updates to make cooking process easier, brand new video, photos, process shots and Life of Dozer update!
LIFE OF DOZER
Weekend Nana Naps often end with Dozer using ME as his pillow. It’s the wrong way round – I should be laying MY head on his fluffy, soft mass!! 😂
Flashback to when this recipe was originally published:
Snippet from Life As Dozer. He basically has 4 modes: playing, sleeping, eating food or hoping for food. He lives a hard, hard life, doesn’t he?
Hi Nagi, just made your fish cakes for my son as he’s back from Uni. His comment”best fish cakes he’s ever had”. He always orders fish cakes when are out so that’s high praise. Love all your recipes you are my go to online cook book. Thank you
I just made it and husband who doesn’t eat any fish patties loved this…
I also tried the other recipe but this is the best, I mixed 4 types of fish (found in freezer) and this is my favurite recipe, not that spicy and very nice, delicate and so delicious!!!
Thanks Nagi
For the red curry paste, can I use the THAI Kitchen Red Curry paste (i think its sold in target), will the fish cakes still taste good with that type of red curry paste, or do I need the one mentioned in this website?
I haven’t tried that one Sandra and they vary a lot from brand to brand – I just know that Maesri is good which is why I use it! N x
I had some beautiful hand caught yellow tail in the freezer and made these fish cakes with them, wow, just wow! Thank you!
One of my favourites at Thai restaurants and now I can make at home and they taste just as good. So delicious and easy to make. Win win !
Thanks for the recipe! So easy to do and they turned out just as we wanted them too. We used basa fillets and the Maesri curry paste but accidentally used the Penang curry instead of red so ours were a little milder but still totally yummy!
At last…a recipe even my husband can follow….will let you know the results……thanks again
Ha ha ha!!! Does he read this?? N x
These fish cakes are incredible when made with Nagi’s red curry paste! Wonderfully light and tasty.
Hi Nagi, made this today and to the recipe exactly except I used coconut oil with grape seed oil to fry the fish cakes. They were so tasty and
with such a nice texture. The green beans are a must! I did it as an appetizer but next time, will make the cakes bigger and do it as a main with rice. Very tasty and a really easy to pull together dish. Thanks again for an outstanding recipe and video!
Hi Nagi
Just two questions:
1. My husband is on a keto diet – can I leave out the flour altogether or should I add almond meal/coconut flour/psyllium husk?
2. I have frozen green beans – can I thaw these and use instead of fresh?
Thank you!!
I used coconut flour – a bit less than recipe and was delicious. Im doing keto and I still use a lot of Nagi’s recipes with slight changes
Made a ‘fakeaway’ feast with these, the massaman and coconut prawns. Perfect! Used ling, worked well, so easy! Bf v impressed and prefers to our takeaways! Love love love the site! Thank you!
I have made this recipe twice, the first time using hake and the results were perfect! Second time I used Basa fillets (bought thawed from the supermarket) and the mixture was way too sticky and I had to use double the flour and the cakes were still sticky and wet. I had to form the patties with my hands in freezer bags! End result was the fish cakes were nowhere near as tasty as the first lot. Any recommendations? Thanks
Not sure if been asked! Can they be frozen after cooking and reheated for say, a dinner party? Thanks in advance!
Yes 100% Romy! N x
Just want to no can I cook fish cakes day before
Sure can Rhonda, I just reheat in the microwave. N x
Absolutely delicious! I reduced the red curry paste to make it kid friendly and we all loved them. Will be making these on the regular
Spot on!
I used Basa (an ‘unusual’ fish here in WA!) and they turned out fabulously…took me a bit to get the size I wanted as they were for nibbles.
Another winning recipe 🙂
Holy Cow these were good!! You never disappoint.
I used prawns, so the batter was a bit loose so added a bit more flour. So yummy. Still had bouncy fish cake texture.
I love that bouncy texture!! Sounds like you nailed it Abbe! N x
Could you use prawns instead of fish? I love Thai fish cakes but have always wondered if prawns would work well too.
Thank you 🙂
I don’t see why not Karen – maybe more of a bouncy texture but they would be delicious! N x
Thank you so much for your fabulous recipes. Made fish cakes tonight but now wish I’d seen your recipe first! Will definitely try it out. Also thanks for rice cooking tips
Annie
Sydney
What can I substitute for the rice flour in the fish cakes. I always have arrowroot, cornflour, plain (all purpose)flour and chick pea flour.
She says in the recipe list that the rice flour can be subbed with corn starch/corn flour.