These delicious little Thai canapés will amaze your guests, in both presentation and flavour.
Ingredients
- 1 stalk lemongrass, roughly chopped
- 1 large clove garlic, peeled
- ½ inch (1 cm) piece fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 level tbsp fresh coriander leaves, plus a few sprigs to garnish
- 2 kaffir lime leaves, roughly chopped (if unavailable, leave them out)
- 1 lime, zest only
- 1 medium red chilli, deseeded
- 75g creamed coconut
- ½ small red pepper (use only ¼ if it's a large one), deseeded and roughly chopped
- 450g white fish fillets (such as haddock), skinned and cut into chunks
- 2 level tbsp lightly seasoned plain flour
- 2-3 tbsp groundnut or other flavourless oil, for frying
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- sweet chilli dipping sauce, to serve
Method
Put the lemon grass, garlic, root ginger, coriander leaves, kaffir lime leaves, lime zest, chilli, creamed coconut and red pepper into a food processor and blend to a smooth paste.
Add the chunks of fish and process again briefly until the fish is blended in smoothly. Tip the mixture into a bowl, add some seasoning and shape the fishcakes into 24 fairly small, thin, flattish, round shapes about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter. (TIP: You can make them ahead to this stage – spread them out in a single layer, cover with clingfilm and keep them in the refrigerator till needed)
To cook the fishcakes, coat them in the seasoned flour. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in the frying pan over a high heat and, when it’s really hot, turn the heat down to medium and fry the fishcakes briefly for about 30 seconds on each side to a pale golden colour – you will need to cook them in several batches, adding a little more oil if necessary.
As the fish cakes cook, transfer to a warm plate lined with kitchen paper, and keep warm.
Serve with sweet chilli dipping sauce, and garnish with the remaining coriander
