Thai-Style Sea Scallop Cakes
Updated June 1, 2020
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- ¼cup rice wine vinegar
- ¼cup brown sugar
- 2 or 3tiny Thai chiles, red or green, thinly sliced
- 2tablespoons chopped or crushed roasted unsalted peanuts
- 2teaspoons fish sauce
- 1teaspoon grated ginger
- 1pound sea scallops, or ½ pound sea scallops plus ½ pound halibut, cod or other firm white-fleshed fish
- ½teaspoon salt
- ½teaspoon black or white pepper
- 2teaspoons fish sauce
- 2small garlic cloves, smashed to a paste with a little salt
- 1(2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and grated
- 6scallions, thinly sliced
- 2teaspoons finely chopped serrano or jalapeño chile, or to taste
- ½cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
- 4makrut lime leaves, slivered thinly
- 1small egg, lightly beaten
- Peanut or coconut oil for frying
For the Dipping Sauce
For the Fish Cakes
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
128 calories; 3 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 12 grams protein; 628 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.
Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.
Preparation
- Step 1
Make the dipping sauce: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
- Step 2
Make the sea scallop cakes: Put the sea scallops in the bowl of a food processor. Add the salt, pepper, fish sauce, garlic and ginger. Process to a fine-ground paste, about 1 minute.
- Step 3
Add the scallions, chile, cilantro, makrut lime leaves and egg. Pulse a few times to combine well. The paste can be transferred to another container and refrigerated until ready to cook, up to a day ahead.
- Step 4
Pour peanut or coconut oil to a depth of ¼ inch into a wide skillet and turn the heat to medium high. When the oil is hot, carefully add the fish cake mixture in large spoonfuls. Fry in batches if necessary to avoid crowding. Adjust the heat to allow the cakes to brown gently for about 3 minutes, then flip them. Flatten them gently with a spatula and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Drain on absorbent paper, then serve hot, with the dipping sauce.
Private Notes
Comments
I made two half-batches of these; one with all scallops and one with all shrimp. They were spicy! And that was with only half the serrano pepper called for and no black pepper. But easy to make and very rewarding--delicious, sweet, delicate. This amount was a meal for my husband and me, with steamed sugar snaps on the side. I had no kaffir lime leaves but used Meyer lemon leaves, which worked great.
So good, my husband said they were the best he has eaten. Followed the recipe.
Interesting and easy recipe. I used frozen scallops from Trader Joe’s and lime zest (what ai had). The scallop batter was light- almost spongy. The dipping sauce was delicious and added a nice pop of flavor. Tasty and different. I’d make them again, possibly substituting shrimp got scallops as others suggested.
Followed recipe but cakes stuck to pan and fell apart. Any suggestions why?
Interesting. I did 1/2 lb scallops and this made two spongy lifeboats. Could have used 1/4 lb total for two servings. The texture was a bit offputting, but was interesting, good. If I made again, id use half the amount per person. or 1/2 scallops and 1/2 shrimp for a sweeter version.
Go to SOS spices in NYC. Great Web site and they have Keffir Lime Powder. (Makrut) Wonderful stuff that I keep around all the time now.
Advertisement