Thai Fish Cakes with Homemade Honey Dip

Thai Fish Cakes with Homemade Honey Dip

At Felice in the kitchen, we love our fish recipes. Summer time is the perfect season to get fresh ingredients to make Thai fish cakes – the perfect midweek supper. If you also enjoy fish, but want to try something slightly different, then read on.

Ingredients
For the honey dip, you’ll need 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh mint and coriander, 2 tablespoons of tomato ketchup, 2 tablespoons of honey, 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 small finely chopped onion.
For the fish cakes you’ll need 500g/11b 2oz of white fish (e.g. Pollock, link or cod), 1 tablespoon of Thai red curry paste, 1 tablespoon of Thai fish sauce, 2 table spoons of chopped fresh coriander, 1 free range egg, 2 finely sliced spring onions, juice of 1 lime, a pinch of dried chilli flakes, vegetable oil for shallow frying, 1 bunch of watercress and 2 tablespoons of plain flour for dusting.

Method
1.     First, preheat the oven to Gas 4/180C/350F.
2.     Then start with the fishcakes, put all the ingredients except the watercress, flour and oil into a food processor. Blend together until the mixture is smooth.
3.     Next, shape the mixture into small fish cakes and dust the flour over them lightly.
4.     Pour the oil into a deep frying pan until it’s about two and a half centimetres deep and  place over a medium heat
5.     Fry the fish cakes until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes). Then place them on a baking tray and leave them for about 5 minutes to heat through.
6.     For the dip, put the honey into a small pan with the ketchup, onion and vinegar and bring to the boil. Remove the pan off the heat and set aside to cool, and then mix in the herbs.
7.     The fish cakes are now ready to be served with some watercress and the homemade honey dip.
This delicious recipe serves 4 people and only takes 30 minutes preparation time and 10 minutes cooking time. Why not make some extra fishcakes and invite your friends over for a small get together –it’s ideal for a summer evening. This recipe is easy to make and you won’t need to enquire about   Restaurant insurance quotes. However, remember that hot oil can be dangerous and do not leave that pan unattended!

Stuffed Baked marrows/squash

Very common in the Maltese household, these stuffed marrows are just as good cold. Other recipes use rikotta for the filling but I prefer the traditional way.

Ingredients
800 grms large marrows - not "zucchini" type but if only those are available use the largest possible.
1 large onion finely chopped
1 clove of garlic minced
2 fresh bay leaves
3 large tomatoes, chopped
2 tbls tomato paste
600 grams minced beef (Traditionally, 300gms meat and 300gms corned beef - the type you get in a can- was used - frugal gourmet style!)
150 grams of bacon (vegetarians can use 700gms of ricotta mixed with some parsley and a bit of milk)
2 eggs beaten
4 tbls of grated parmesan cheese
Olive oil
Semolina
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F
2. Cut the marrows lengthwise in half and scoop out the insides with a teaspoon. Reserve about half the pulp.
3. Fry the onion, garlic and bay in some olive oil until soft. Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste and cook for a further few minutes.
4. Place the bacon in a food processor and blend until finely minced.
5. Add the beef and bacon to the onion mix and cook until done. (vegetarians, add the ricotta mix)
6. Stir in the marrow pulp and then allow to cool.
7. Once cool add the eggs and cheese and season the mixture to taste.
8. Fill the marrow halves with the meat mixture and then lightly sprinkle with semolina. Place in a lightly oiled baking dish and then drizzle a little more olive oil over the filled marrows
9. Bake for about 45 minutes until the meat mixture is golden and crisp. Another alternative is to slice about 6 potatoes and an onion and place them on a dish, then add the stuffed marrows and cook the whole thing together. A great meal in one dish!