Skip to main content

Prawn fishcakes （虾仁鱼饼）

 


Do you like to make your own fishcakes? Have you ever tried prawn fishcakes? This prawn and fishcake are crispy golden pops of seafood dressed with a tangy sweet slightly spicy kind of sauce and lot of fresh herbs.

This prawn fishcake is slightly different from the classic fishcakes. Let’s talk about the type of fish to use. My late mom used to use mackerel for making fish cake. I am using a snapper for this recipe. In fact, you can choose any kind of firm white fish. Or you can use salmon also.

To make the fish paste, my late mom used to scrape the fish meat with a metal spoon and chop it with the back of the knife until it turns to fine paste. I cut my fish fillet into a small chunk blend it with a food processor. How easy was that!!

You may use a food processor to blend the prawn paste, but I prefer to manually chop them to give my prawn paste a truly chunky texture with so, the fishcakes will pop a little of sweetness.

Kaffir lime leaves are the next ingredient and one of the main ingredients in this recipe. It gives the mild flavour of fresh lime. If you can't find these lime leaves where you live, you can use lime zest as a substitute.

You may be wondering why the colour of my fried prawn fishcake looks red. This is because my recipe contains with sambal belacan (Malaysian shrimp paste). This sambal belacan has all those wonderful flavors—lemongrass, garlic, and shallots. You can probably guess how flavorful the prawns and fishcakes are once they are fried. If you can't find this sambal belacan, you can use curry paste.

Those who have previously made fishcakes should be familiar with this step. You have to lift up the entire piece of fishcake mixture and smack it hard against the bowl several times to get a bouncy texture.

Let's gather all the ingredients and full instructions below to get started.  

 

INGREDIENTS

750g diced fish fillets (snapper)

250g peeled and deveined prawns

4-5 kaffir lime leaves

1 tbsp Sambal belacan

1 egg white

½ tsp sugar

2 tsp light soy sauce

2 tsp salt

Enough cooking for frying

Some diced cucumber for serving

 

Drizzle sauce

3 tbsp calamansi / lime juice

3 tbsp light soy sauce

3 tbsp sugar

1 long red chili, finely chopped

 


METHOD

1. In a food processor, pulse the snapper fillets until a paste forms and finely mince the prawn with a knife. Transfer the fish paste and minced prawn to a big mixing bowl.

2. Julienned and minced the kaffir lime leaves and add into the mixing bowl together with the sambal belacan, egg white, sugar, soy sauce and salt.

3. Mix and knead the mixture with your hands. Halfway through, lift the entire piece of fishcake and smack it hard against the bowl several times to remove the excess air and to get a bouncy texture.

4. Add enough cooking oil to a well heated deep bottom wok. Put some water on your palm, grip your fist, and grasp a handful of fishpaste. Using your thumb and index finger, create a hole and squeeze out the fish paste from that hole.

5. Carefully drop fishcakes into the oil one at a time. Keep the fishcakes evenly space apart, do not overcrowded the wok. Fry for 15 to 20 seconds until the fishcake firms up. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Turn it over and fry for another 3 to 4 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Remove and drain on paper towel.

6. To make the sauce, combine the all the ingredients in a bowl, stir well until sugar melts. Set it aside.

7. Pile the fishcakes onto a plate and scatter over the diced cucumbers. Drizzle the sauce on top and serve.

 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fried Taro Puff Dumplings (Woo KOK 芋角)

Taro puff dumplings or Woo Kok ( 芋角 ) are another must-eat snack when you go to a restaurant. The outside is honeycomb-shaped, and the inside is soft and smooth. Even if you go to a restaurant to eat, not every restaurant makes them crispy. And for that reason, I decided to learn how to make this snack. Someone once told me, because of the complicated workmanship, it is difficult to make at home. She advised me not to spend effort on it. If you know me well, I always like to challenge my limits. Today, I will show you how to make them! The fillings of taro dumplings must contain pork, dried shrimps, and mushrooms! The filling can be prepared one day ahead. The dumpling skin is made of taro paste. I am using Areca taro ( 槟榔芋 ). It has a tough, brown exterior with an interior that is white/beige in color with purple flecks. The ideal taro for this recipe will be more mature and starchier. The hardest and most tiresome step of the entire process is frying Woo Kok. A crispy crust w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Steamed Spareribs With Sand Ginger （沙姜蒸排骨）

Steamed spareribs with sand ginger is a delicious Cantonese dish. The main ingredients are spareribs and sand ginger. Sand ginger, also known as galangal, is a spicy spice that adds a unique flavor to this dish. It is one of four types of galangals, a rhizome in the ginger family. Fresh sand ginger is paler in color on the inside and woodier and coarser in texture than standard ginger. As a result, it is more difficult to peel and grate.  So, I just cleaned it with a tiny brush and chopped it with the skin. Fresh sand ginger might not be available at other places, so they will powder form instead. When dried, the flavor becomes a little less intense. I love how the fresh sand ginger tastes when combined with other spices or ingredients to create the sauce for meat. Apart from the ribs, I also add glass noodles and yuba or dried tofu skin. The ribs, glass noodles and dried tofu skin absorb all the sauce, enhanced by the flavor of sand ginger and oyster sauce. You can use san...
Post a Comment
Read more

Steamed Chicken With Cordyceps Flowers and Shitake Mushrooms （虫草花香菇蒸鸡）

Steam chicken is the easiest way of cooking with health benefits, and delicious flavor. Just simply marinate the bite sized pieces of chicken for minutes to obtain a basic flavor then steam for 20 to 25 minutes. That’s so simple. My husband loves steam food. This is due to the fact that steaming food is nutrient preservation, calorie and fat reduction. Additionally, it keeps the natural flavor to the maximum. Normally, I will add mushrooms, lily blossoms and black fungus for additional texture. For this recipe, I replace the lily blossoms with cordyceps flowers. It is a type of orange-yellow grass and it’s good for nourishing the lungs and kidneys, protecting the liver, nourishing skin and beauty, and improving immunity. It is extremely delicious when used to make soup or steam dishes! You don’t have to add water to the chicken, the marinade, chicken, and mushrooms release a broth-like mix of fluids that tastes amazing over rice. Are you drooling? This is an easy and delicious ...
Post a Comment
Read more