Lunch · 30 min · thai

Tod Mun Pla (Thai Fish Cakes)

Thai flavors, weeknight effort. White fish fillets meets red curry paste in a 30-minute lunch worth keeping in rotation. It is weeknight cooking that still hits your targets — 28 grams of protein per serving. Simple enough for a Tuesday, good enough to serve to guests — that is the whole idea.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 1 lb White fish fillets
• 3 tbsp Red curry paste
• 1/2 cup Green beans
• 4 Kaffir lime leaves
• 1 Egg
• 1 tbsp Fish sauce
• 1/4 cup Sweet chili sauce
• 1/2 cup Vegetable oil

Steps

1. Cut the white fish into chunks and pound it in a mortar, or pulse in a food processor, until it forms a sticky, bouncy paste. The paste should cling to your hand when you lift it; that springiness is what makes fish cakes snap instead of crumble.
2. Work in the red curry paste, fish sauce, and egg, then fold in the finely sliced green beans and kaffir lime leaves, cut into hair-thin ribbons. Mix until completely uniform.
3. Wet your hands and shape the paste into small patties, about 2 inches across. Wet hands are the trick. The paste will not stick to damp skin.
4. Shallow-fry in 1/2 inch of oil over medium heat, 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep golden and puffed. Do not crowd the pan or the temperature drops and the cakes turn greasy.
5. Drain on a rack, not paper towels. A rack keeps the bottoms crisp. Serve hot with sweet chili sauce for dipping.

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