Cooking Lab - Grilled King Fish Head (日式鹽烤魚頭)

Cooking Lab - Homemade Thai-style Salmon Fish Cakes

These Thai fish cakes are simple to make and they are utterly delicious. 

They are packed with the freshest ingredients and because they are homemade, you know exactly what goes in there. Nothing but the best for your family. 


(c) GMV - Got My Vote!

They can be the perfect appetizers just as they are. 

TIp: For a more substantial meal, make the fish cake into a larger patty size and you can turn it into a fish patty burger the next day!

Ingredients:

- 300g fresh salmon fillet 
- 1 packet fish paste 
- 100g pork mince 
- 50g shiitake mushrooms 
- 50g fresh coriander (or opt for your preferred veggies) 
- 10g roasted nori seaweed flakes 
- 1 green scallions 
- 1 mild red chili 
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce 
- 1 teaspoon cooking wine 
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar 
- 3 tablespoon sweet chili mayonnaise 
- Salt and pepper 

Instructions:

1. Clean the salmon fillet and check for fine bones.

2. Slice the salmon fillet into long stripes.

3. Finely diced the salmon stripes.

4. Season lightly with salt.

5.In a large metal bowl, combine the fish paste, diced salmon and pork mince together.

6. Lightly season with salt, sugar, soy sauce and a dash of cooking wine.

7. Thoroughly mix together until you reach a thick, elastic texture.

8.Take 2 tablespoons of the mixture, roll it into a small ball.

9. In your palm, flatten the mixture into 1-2cm thick patties.

10. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan.

11. Fry the fish cakes over a medium heat for about 5 mins on each side or until crisp and golden.

12. Remove and blot off the the excess oil.

 
   Look at the delicious fish cake. It smells so fragrant, too. 

13. Generously scatter some seaweed flakes on top.

14. Serve warm with sweet chili mayonnaise on the side.

  

15. For grown-ups: garnish with fresh scallions and mild red chili pepper.

These fish cakes are the perfect izakaya bar snack to go with your evening drinks. 

Print Friendly Version

Cooking Lab - Therapeutic 'Surf n Turf' Fish Balls in Clear Soup

I love fish balls. They are so fun to eat: you can plonk them in soups, deep-fried or grill them on skewers. Most days, you just buy the pre-made ones in the supermarkets. But they are really simple to make at home. 

The star ingredient is really the fish paste. Armed with the secret weapon, you can make fancy fish balls at home! 


(c) GMV - Got My Vote!

Today, I am making a 'surf n turf' version - combining fresh salmon and pork mince. 

This is seriously an utterly delicious bouncy popping-fun snack. Quite therapeutic in the process of making, too. 

Ingredients:

- 300g fresh salmon fillets 
- 1 pack fish paste 
- 200g shiitake mushroom 
- 150g pork mince 
- 1 bunch coriander 
- 4 cups of chicken stock 
- 2 tablespoon cooking wine 
- 1 tablespoon light soy 
- 1 teaspoon salt 
- 1 teaspoon sugar 
- 10g pickled ginger 

Instructions:

1. Marinate the salmon fillet in cooking wine for at least 15 minutes. 

2. Diced the salmon fillets, shiitake mushrooms, fresh coriander into fine pieces.

3. Place all ingredients in a large stainless bowl.

4. Mix together with your hands.

Now, get ready for some anger therapy.

5. Pick up the mixture first and then, as hard as you can smash it or slap it down.

6. Repeat the process for 10 times.

The harder you smash/pound the mixture, the bouncier the fish balls will gets.  

This is much better than therapy, not only you can release the emotional pressure from within, you are actually being constructive in the process. The tangible result is some bouncy and springy fish balls. 

7. Shape the mixture into balls.

8. 'Air drop' the fish balls into a pot of boiling stock.

9. Remove when the fish balls surfaced to the top.

10. Continue with the rest of the batch.

Of course, these fish balls may not look as perfect and round as the commercial version. But don't you prefer a rustic version that has a lot to offer?

11. Serve hot with clear soup.

Homemade version is still the best. Not only you know exactly what goes in, there are no short cuts or addictives. Only pure goodness for the family. 

Print Friendly Version