I have noticed that pretty much all my fish dishes on the blog seem to be of salmon. I think it sounds a bit sad really, coz there are so many other amazing fish dishes out there that don’t involve salmon in any way. I think back home I would have access to a wider variety of fish, both fresh water and salt water fish, and accompany each with a spectacular dish to boot.
Okay, so maybe I am being a touch stupid and unfair … I live right by the North Sea, for pete’s sake!! … there should be an abundance of fish coming out of the waters here. Red snapper, mullet, bream, cod, hake, tuna, ling fish … and we haven’t even gotten to the crustaceans yet. So, I do take back what I just said and place the blame solely on myself for not branching out more and cooking with a different fish variety for the blog. Today however, I am doing just that.
If you remember the Ayam Panggang Percik recipe I posted a couple weeks ago, it had a spice paste that was used to marinade and baste the chicken with. I saved the leftover marinade paste and utilized it in this recipe (to avoid waste of a perfectly awesome product). In the fragrant spice paste is lemongrass, tumeric, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, coconut milk, chillies, fish sauce and palm sugar, all the quintessential ingredients one would find in southeast Asian cooking.
South-Asian Fish Cakes with Minted Pineapple & Pink Pomegranate Salsa.
– 2 white fish fillets (preferably river fish)
– 2 tbsp Ayam Percik spice paste
– pinch of salt
Minted Pineapple & Pink Pomegranate Salsa.
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple (not the sweet canned ones)
½ cup pink pomegranate
1 shallots, sliced thinly
bunch of mint
bunch of fresh coriander leaves
lime juice
lime zest
sugar to taste
sweet chilli sauce (*optional)
To make these fishcakes I tend to use Asian freshwater fish. Here I used catfish but you can use snakehead, carp, talapia or panga fillets. While these fish are generally mild in flavour, there is plenty flavour coming from the spice paste mixture. Simply place the fish fillets into a food processor and blitz into a paste, then transfer to a bowl and mix in the paste. Cover with cling film and set aside in the fridge to marinade for one hour.
When it is time to cook the fishcakes, roll them into balls then flatten them into discs. The best way to handle fish paste is to wet your hands first; this way you avoid the paste sticking to your hands and making a mess. To get equal sized patties, use a cookie ring to portion each ball out.
Heat peanut oil in a non-stick pan and gently fry each fishcake on medium heat until the bottoms get a good colour. Remember, it doesn’t take much heat to cook fish so don’t over-do it. Flip after 4 minutes and cook the other side. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
The pineapple salsa is easy; simply chop all components and mix everything in a bowl. I don’t give exact measurements for the lime juice and sugar because they do not have to be. If you like sour flavours then add lots of lime, if not, then adjust accordingly. Sometimes I like to make a simple syrup by reducing sugar and water, then adding the lime juice + zest to it, making a sweet lime dressing. If you like spice then add some (maybe a teaspoons worth of) sweet chilli sauce to the mix.
You can either pile up the fishcakes in a basket or serve them elegantly on individual plates like I have done here today. I was practicing my plating technique and I think the more I do it the more I will get a feel for the art. Sometimes it’s hard to visualize the plate and put a concept into practice. I really think plating a seriously visual plate takes exposure and practice … none of which I have. I came up with what I could, needless to say.
If you are serving these up at a party, be sure to make a double batch coz people are going to be wanting more. Even without the salsa, these fishcakes are truly delish and you will find yourself reaching for the next one and the next one in quick succession.
Enjoy the contrast of flavours that come from the tart salsa and the aromatic fishcakes. Definitely a crowd pleaser, so give it a go if you are looking for a new way to present fish on the dinner table. Yummy yummy.
~ Enjoy! ~
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