I was reminded of these when a member of the 5:2 Intermittent Fasting Diet group on Facebook asked for a fishcake recipe that didn’t require the use of breadcrumbs or mashed potato. I can’t wait for our next 5:2 fast day to do them again! Pickled vegetables are quite a thing now, turning up regularly on Masterchef as an accompaniment. It’s a great way of adding some zingy flavour without a lot of calories.
Thai Salmon Patties with Pickled Vegetable Ribbons
I had always thought that fish cakes needed potato or something to hold them together, but not so, these work beautifully. I like to make them small so that they cook quickly and the centre stays moist and pink.
I’ve usually done the fish patties with salmon, but they would work equally well with any firm white fish or tuna or swordfish.
As an alternative to rice wine vinegar, try apple cider vinegar. I use maple syrup as it mixes in easily, but you could use coconut sugar or raw brown sugar instead. A little sweetness adds to the complexity of flavours.
Cucumber and carrots are obvious candidates for pickle, but you could use courgettes, beetroot, cauliflower or fennel as alternatives and slices of red onion instead of spring onion.
Serves 2
- 250g salmon fillets 244 kcals
- 2 tsp grated root ginger 4 kcals
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaf
- 1 tsp Thai red curry paste 10 kcals
- 1 tbsp Tamari soy sauce 16 kcals
- 1 tsp maple syrup 12 kcals
- 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar 6 kcals
- 1 carrot 26 kcals
- 1/2 cucumber 18 kcals
- 2 spring onions 10 kcals
- 1 tbsp groundnut oil 120 kcals
Put the salmon, ginger, coriander, Thai curry paste and Tamari into a food processor and whizz until the fish is minced. With damp hands, form into 6 patties. Keep them cool while you prepare the vegetables.
Mix the vinegar and maple syrup in a bowl.
Peel the carrot and cucumber into long strips or ribbons and cut the spring onion into long slivers. Add to the bowl and toss together well.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the patties for a couple of minutes on each side, until just cooked through.
Serve immediately with the vegetable pickle.
Per serving: kcals 228
Carbs 12g Fat 11g 7g
For a main meal, also serve some steamed broccoli and wilted spinach.
This recipe is in my book 5:2 Healthy Eating for Life, available on Amazon in kindle or print format.
After that, I am trying to focus mainly on vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, with small amounts of meat, fish and dairy. This is my take on a planet and people friendly diet! Our chickens are still laying, so there are eggs in my plan too. So nothing is excluded, but because we are keen to start the New Year with getting back into shape, we are keeping our calorie intake down and generally that means that meals are lower in carbs. Seasonally speaking, I have cauliflower, Swiss chard, various root vegetables, citrus fruits and pears. But I also have to remember that I have a lot of our own produce in the freezer, so we will use some raspberries this week.