Thai fish cake bites
Crispy, punchy Thai fish cake bites flavoured with red curry paste and kaffir lime — perfect party nibbles or a zingy midweek supper.
These Thai fish cake bites (tod mun pla) are compact packets of punchy red curry, kaffir lime and fresh coriander — perfect for sharing, dipping and demolishing. They’re faster than a curry and dress up brilliantly for a party or midweek supper.
The trick is texture: a short blitz in a food processor and a 30-minute chill gives you tender, springy cakes that stay together in the oil. Serve with lime wedges and sweet chilli sauce or a cooling cucumber relish.
Ingredients
- 500 g skinless white fish fillets
- 30 ml red curry paste
- 15 ml fish sauce
- 5 ml caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 40 g cornflour
- 6 fresh kaffir lime leaves — finely shredded
- 80 g long beans — trimmed and finely sliced
- 1 red chilli — deseeded and finely sliced
- 15 g fresh coriander — roughly chopped
- 200 ml vegetable oil — for shallow/deep frying
- 5 ml sea salt
Equipment
- food processor
- deep-fat thermometer
- baking tray
- slotted spoon
Instructions
Prepare the aromatics and veg: shred the fresh kaffir lime leaves, finely slice the long beans and red chilli, and roughly chop the fresh coriander. Keep each component separate.
Cut the skinless white fish fillets into chunks and place in a food processor with the red curry paste, fish sauce, caster sugar, egg and cornflour. Pulse until the mixture becomes a smooth, slightly sticky paste — about 30 seconds. Do not overheat the blade or over-process.
Tip the fish paste into a mixing bowl and fold in the shredded fresh kaffir lime leaves, long beans, red chilli and fresh coriander until evenly distributed.
Season test: heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a small frying pan, take a thumbnail-sized piece of the mixture and fry 30 seconds each side until cooked through. Taste and adjust with a pinch more sea salt or a little extra caster sugar if needed.
Cover the bowl and chill the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up. This makes the pieces hold together when frying.
Pour the vegetable oil into a wide frying pan or wok to a depth of about 2 cm (or increase for shallow deep-frying). Heat to 170°C — use a deep-fat thermometer or test with a small breadcrumb: it should sizzle steadily but not spit violently.
Wet your hands and shape the chilled mixture into small bite-sized patties (about 20 g each). Fry in batches without overcrowding: cook 3–4 minutes per side until deep golden and cooked through. Keep the oil at a steady 165–175°C and turn gently.
Drain the cooked bites briefly on kitchen paper for about 2 minutes, then transfer to a warm plate. Sprinkle very lightly with sea salt and serve immediately with lime wedges and sweet chilli sauce if you like.
Tips
- Pulse the fish just until it forms a smooth paste; any longer and the texture becomes gummy.
- Chill the mixture for the full 30 minutes — it makes shaping much easier and prevents break-up in the pan.
- Do not overcrowd the pan; fry in small batches so the oil temperature stays consistent and the bites crisp evenly.
- Make ahead: shape the patties and freeze them in a single layer on a tray, then bag. Fry from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes per side.
- If you don’t have kaffir lime leaves, use finely grated lime zest — the aroma won’t be identical but it keeps the citrus lift.
Substitutions
skinless white fish fillets → mixed white fish and peeled raw prawns, same total weight
Stays closecornflour → rice flour, same weight
Stays closefresh coriander → fresh parsley, same weight
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 350
- Calories
- 30 g
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 900 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I bake these instead of frying?
Yes — brush lightly with oil and bake on a lined baking tray at 200°C fan/220°C conventional for 12–15 minutes, turning halfway, until golden. They’ll be less crisp than fried.
Can I freeze the fish cakes?
Freeze raw, shaped patties on a tray until solid, then transfer to a bag. Fry from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes per side, or defrost in the fridge and fry as usual.
Why are my fish cakes chewy?
Over-processing the fish or overheating the processor blade warms the proteins and makes a chewy texture. Pulse briefly and keep the bowl cool.
How do I know they’re cooked through?
They should be deep golden and spring back slightly when pressed. Cut one open: the centre should be opaque and flaky, not translucent.
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