Thai Fish Cakes

The Illustrated Quick Cook

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Ingredients

10 oz (300 g) peeled and deveined cooked shrimps, coarsely chopped		juice of 2 limes
3 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole		1 large egg, lightly beaten
small handful of fresh cilantro		3-4 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
2 fresh red Thai or other hot chile peppers, seeded		salt and freshly ground black pepper
generous splash of Asian fish sauce, such as nam pla		sweet chili sauce (to serve)
generous splash of soy sauce		wild arugula leaves (to serve)
small handful of fresh basil leaves

Prep: 15 min Total: 30 min (Quick)

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1
Combine the shrimps, garlic, cilantro, chiles, fish sauce, soy sauce, basil, and lime juice in a food processor, and process into a coarse paste. Add the egg and plenty of salt and pepper, and process again.
2
Heat a little oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Scoop 1 tbsp of the mixture, then carefully slide it into the pan and flatten slightly; it should be about ¾ in (2cm) thick. Repeat until all the mixture has been used. Cook for a minute or two on each side until golden. You may need to cook in batches, adding more oil as needed. Drain the fish cakes on a plate lined with paper towels.
3
Serve hot with a drizzle of sweet chili sauce and some arugula leaves.

Use Thai basil, which has a spicy, delicate flavor, instead of regular basil, if you can find it. It also has a sweeter taste than regular basil.

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