Spicy Crab and Prawn Fishcakes with Sweetcorn, Coriander and a Thai style Dipping Sauce. Everyone who cooks has a list of their personal favourite dishes. They can be their own creations or someone else’s recipe. They can be terribly simple or frighteningly complex. As a chef, you develop a list of go-to recipes that work every time. They have one common denominator. Simply they are incredible eating for family, friends or paying guests. Thai Spiced Crab and Prawn Fishcakes would get an entry near to the top of my list.
Now I know living on an island spoils you with the ability to get hold of great ingredients like fresh crab every day. I have really special memories of dressed crab on family holidays as a last day treat. However it is getting very expensive. The great thing about this recipe is you still get the taste but there are lots of other ingredients. You can however replace the crab with the same weight of white fish. The result will still be delicious.
What to drink?
Spicy Thai style fishcakes need something to refresh the palate and pair with the chilli heat try a dry New Zealand Riesling wine or the complimentary coriander and citrus zest flavours of some Continental Wheat beers.
My Spicy Crab and Prawn Fishcakes
I love the layers of flavours in Thai cooking and while this dish is only my interpretation, I hope it has a little of the depth, spice, and variety with the typical hot, sweet and sour tastes. I have cheated in using preserved ginger. I always keep a jar of this in the fridge. It keeps better than the fresh root and is nearly as good. You can grate directly into any recipe, and it does not require cooking. The Thai style dipping sauce can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator but is best served at room temperature.
Spicy Crab and Prawn Fishcakes with Sweetcorn, Coriander and a Thai style Dipping Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Non-stick Frying Pan
Ingredients
For the fishcakes
- 150 gr firm White Fish such such as Cod, Haddock or Coley
- 100 gr freshly picked White Crab Meat
- 50 gr fresh peeled Prawns roughly chopped
- 50 gr cooked Sweetcorn Nibs
- 1 medium sized fresh, free range Egg
- 2 stems Lemon Grass peeled and finely chopped
- 2 small hot Chilli Peppers, finely diced
- 1 piece of Preserved Ginger finely grated
- 1 tablespoon of Fish Sauce
- 2 fresh Limes zest and juice
- ½ teaspoon ground Coriander
- ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
- 1 bunch fresh Coriander finely chopped
- A large knob of Butter and Vegetable oil for frying
For the dipping sauce
- 1 small Carrot peeled and very finely diced
- 1 Banana Shallot peeled and very finely diced
- 1 stick Celery very finely diced
- 1 sweet Red Pepper very finely diced
- 2 small hot Chilli peppers finely diced
- 2 stems Lemon Grass finely chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic peeled and crushed to a pulp
- 1 piece Preserved Ginger finely grated
- 3 tablespoons Fish Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Palm Sugar or soft Brown Sugar
- 2 fresh Limes zest and juice
- 1 tablespoon of fresh Coriander finely chopped
- freshly boiled Water
Instructions
For the dipping sauce
- Place all of the ingredients, excluding the coriander, in a glass bowl and just cover with boiling water. Stir and allow to cool. When completely cooled down stir in the coriander.
- Adding the coriander whilst hot can discolour the chopped leaves, allowing the sauce to cool will ensure an appealing fresh green colour. The temperature of the boiling water is sufficient to soften but not cook the vegetables leaving a slight crunch.
For the fishcakes
- Blitz the fish in a food processor for two minutes on the pulse setting. You do not want to let the motor get hot as it will start to cook the fish.
- For a professional finish, you can pass the fish through a fine sieve to remove any unprocessed lumps. Add the egg, fish sauce, lime zest and juice and process for a further minute.
- Transfer to a bowl and work in the remaining ingredients. Do not worry if the mixture seems quite loose as it will produce a moist crab cake.
- Heat a thin coating of oil in a heavy bottomed non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat add the butter and using an ice cream scoop drop in four or five balls of the crab mix.
- Flatten gently with a spatula and cook for five to six minutes before very carefully turning and cooking for a few more minutes.
- When the crab cakes are golden brown on both sides and firm to the touch but not solid, remove on to kitchen paper and keep warm. Wipe out the pan and repeat the process to use up the crab mixture.
- Serve with the dipping sauce and lime wedges.
Notes
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