Fish Cake Salad with Chilli Caramel Dressing

I absolutely adore Asian fish cakes. I make them often and if you happen to visit me, chances are high that they are the first thing you will be served at my place. My husband is pretty sure it has something to do with the name:-) I can’t deny that (I couldn’t stop smiling when my little one victoriously retorted ‘C is for Cake’ while learning alphabets) but the truth is that the balance of sweet, sour, spicy flavours is what make them so unique. Other than eating them with a lovely dipping sauce, I like to add them to sandwiches, wraps, salads or atop fried rice.

The beauty of this salad is in the fish cakes and the dressing. It sounds like a lot of work for a salad but really it isn’t. The ingredients for the fish cakes are thrown into the food processor, mixed together, shaped into cakes and fried. The chilli caramel dressing is also easy to make by heating the ingredients together in a saucepan till they thicken up in to a sticky caramel. You can go with any vegetable and herbs that you have at hand.

The best way to enjoy the salad is assembling it when the fish cakes are warm. You can of course make them ahead and warm them up just before serving. The sticky caramel coats the cakes and turns into the most amazing dressing that is so typical of Asian flavours. These fish cakes can also be served on their own with the salad on the side. If doing so, the cakes can be made larger in size. I have made them smaller for the purpose of adding them to salad.

Fish Cake Salad with Chilli Caramel Dressing
Serves 4

500 g firm white fish fillets
3 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
1 red chilli (optional)
1/2 cup coriander leaves
a handful, chives
1 tsp ground turmeric (optional)
1 tbsp. fish sauce
salt, to taste
1 egg
shaved baby cucumber, to serve
2 medium tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
fresh herbs (coriander, basil, chives), to serve

Chilli Caramel Dressing( makes about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
1tbsp fish sauce
juice from 1 lime

 

For the fish cakes: Place fish, garlic, ginger, chilli, coriander, chives, turmeric, fish sauce and egg in a food processor. Process until well combined. Place in a bowl and season with salt.
Using 2 tablespoons of mixture at a time, shape mixture into small patties.

Fill a wok with oil till 1/3 full. Heat over medium heat until hot. Cook fish cakes, in batches, turning, for 5 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

To make the dressing: combine sugar, vinegar, garlic, chilli and 1 cup  water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes or until thickened and reduced. Remove from heat, then stir in fish sauce and lime juice. Loosely cover and leave to cool.

To assemble, slice the fish cakes in half and place on a plate (or bowl). Add the vegetables and herbs and gently toss to combine. Add dressing just before serving. Combine.