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?
I have a multi-tier rack I could use with my air fryer. How long do you think if I was going to use that instead of pan-frying?
I’m making some today and I’m gonna try cooking some in the air fryer – sounds like a good plan but I will let you know how they went. Thanks for the suggestion
These were great! I used a handful of frozen peas instead of the beans and it tasted fantastic. Can’t wait to make them again. Thanks for the recipe.
Do you have to use Red Curry Paste? Can you use another curry paste?
Hi Donna, red curry paste is best for this one. N x
These Thai Fish Cakes , were Absolutely Delicious, And My Partner Loved Them. I’ll Definitely be Making them Again, So Easy To Make the Flavours were Devine , 👌😀
Hi! I want to try these but have a couple questions. Do you think arrowroot or tapioca flour would work in place of rice flour? And also, would cod would work for the fish and is it okay if previously frozen? Thank you!
Hi KE, cod would be ok to use here, just thaw and pat dry before using. Tapioca flour would also work well in this recipe. I’d love to know how you go! N x
Thank you so much! I will let you know once we make them.
Made these a month ago and forgot to comment. I used John Dory fillets and they turned out excellent. Doubled the mixture for a dinner we had here as part of other nibbles, there wasn’t one left on the plate.
Thank you again Nagi.
Wahoo! Sounds like you absolutely nailed it Kris! N x
Hi Nagi….looooove everything about you!!! Just wondering….can we make the mixture and keep it in the fridge overnight?
Yes just best to leave the flour out until you are ready to cook them and mix it in last minute. If you’ve already made the mix into balls- that’s fine too. I have done this and put them in the fridge uncooked until the next day. They were fine!
made with sea bass fillets and stirred in chopped sping onion with the corn flour. sooo good !!
I made these to use up some leftover barramundi, and they turned out perfect. I have had fish cakes in many Thai restaurants and these are far better, not rubbery and dry at all. We had them with your satay chicken and Thai fried rice. All perfect Nagi, thank you!
Nagi… wondering if I could use canned salmon for these fish cakes?
Hi Jenn, unfortunately not for these fish cakes, but you can use canned in this one here: https://promotown.info/salmon-patties/%3C/a%3E N x
Hi Nagi,
Made these with Baby asparagus as I didn’t have any beans and Basa from Woolies, came out great!!!, will be on the menu again.
Hugs for Dozer!!
B
YUM, YUM, YUM! I added a little more chilli but these went down so well in my house!
Can you pre-make the patties and keep them in the fridge for a couple of hours before frying?
Yes 100% Katie! Just sit them on some baking paper 🙂 N x
I often have to cook for a number of people, and have a two course meal served at a specific time. I really appreciate all your tips on what you can prepare earlier and have ready. It makes timing so much easier!
I made these today, the mixture was a little sloppy which I put down to frozen (thawed) haddock fillets which were very watery once defrosted. This impacted the texture slightly but they turned out well. Will definitely make these again, excellent recipe, though I’ll dry the fish next time!
My only change was to leave out the green beans and I added two stalks of lemongrass prior to blitzing – just because I love lemongrass! They were delicious and very popular with the kids who want me to cook them again!
Hi Chris, yes if using frozen fish you definitely need to drain and pat dry (I mention this in the recipe notes) but I’m so glad you loved them!! N x
Hi Nagi, I made these last night for friends as a starter to a Thai meal (your green curry) and the fish cakes were amazing!! I used Crimson Snapper. Everyone thought they were better than restaurant ones. Your recipe is easy to follow and I can highly recommend these to everyone. Thank you for your amazing recipes.
Oh My Word…. I had 2 really beautiful Salmon fillets. This recipe complimented them beautifully. Actually made 15 cakes. So, so yummy. Made my evening
These were absolutely delicious! I immediately sent the recipe to 5 friends and recommended them to make them ASAP!!! I used monk fish which was perfect. I also added spring onion as well as green beans. Instead of serving them with sweet chilli, I used chilli jam which worked really well. I served them on a side of your asian slaw. 10/10 perfection!
I had these for supper tonight with your fluffy coconut rice (perfection!) and believe it or not, your carrot salad! A little spicy with the fish cakes and the slightly sweet of the coconut rice with the bit of sour in the salad really worked nicely together. Oh! and the green beans in the cakes, a definite must!
Thank you for your recipes. We just love them so much at our house!
Made these a few nights ago with saddletail and they were fantastic! If using fresh fish (not thawed) can they be shaped and frozen?
I also made the chicken satay, which was equally good.
Hey Nagi,
Thanks for the great recipes you share. Regarding the Thai fish cakes, they tested really good, but looked bit dry from inside. How can I fix this?
Hi Sanchi, can I ask what type of fish you used? I’d say that may be the culprit. N x