Newsletter Home | Market Report | Recipes | Contact Us | Subscribe to Newsletter

Recipes Home | Refer this page to a friend

Spicy Fish Cakes

Seafood Suggestion: Simply Seafood® scallops, salmon
Seafood alternatives: catfish, snapper

These flavorful fish cakes are tasty served alone, or with a dollop of the cilantro sauce, but they are outstanding when wrapped in crisp lettuce, with fresh mint and mango tucked inside. It is an Asian approach that is deliciously different.

Ingredients:

• 1 head green leaf lettuce, washed and dried, tough stems removed
• 1 large ripe mango or papaya, peeled, pitted/seeded and cut in thin strips
• 1/3 cup mint leaves
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 1 pound skinless cod fillet, pin bones removed
• 2 green onions, minced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, cored, seeded and minced
• 1 Tbsp. minced or pressed garlic
• 1 Tbsp. minced or grated ginger
• 1 Tbsp. Thai fish sauce or soy sauce
• Grated zest of 1 large lemon
• Peanut oil, for cooking

Cilantro Aioli

• 1 bunch cilantro, washed
• Grated zest and juice from 1 large lemon
• 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise, preferably reduced fat

Cooking Instructions:

For the cilantro aioli, coarsely chop the entire bunch of cilantro (stems and leaves) and put it in a blender or small food processor. Add the lemon zest and garlic to the blender and whirl until coarsely chopped. Add the mayonnaise and whirl to mix.

Transfer the cilantro aioli to a small serving bowl and set it on a platter with the lettuce leaves, mango, mint leaves and lime wedges. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Cut the fish into 1-inch pieces and finely chop it in a food processor, 10 to 20 seconds; do not over-process to a smooth puree. (Alternatively, finely mince the fish with a knife.) In a bowl, combine the fish, green onions, jalapeño, garlic, ginger, fish sauce and lemon zest and stir until well blended. Form the fish mixture into patties of about 2 tablespoons each; you should have 16 patties total.

Pour about 1/8 inch oil into a large frying pan. Heat over medium-high heat until ripples develop in the oil. With a spatula, carefully slide 5 to 6 patties total into the pan, spacing them at least 1 inch apart. Cook until golden on the bottom and opaque in the center. (Reduce the heat if the patties become too dark before cooking through.) Drain on paper towels, then keep warm in a 200ºF oven. Repeat to cook the remaining patties, adding more oil to the pan as needed.

Pile the fish cakes onto the serving platter alongside the other ingredients. To eat, put a fish cake, some mango and mint in the center of a lettuce leaf. Sprinkle with a squeeze of lime, then spoon on some of the cilantro aioli. Fold up and eat out of hand.

Servings per recipe: 4 Appetizers

Nutrition Facts:

Cal. 253 / Total fat 9g / Sat. 1g / Chol. 51mg / Sdm. 272mg / Carbo. 21g / Prot. 23g / Om-3 .2g