Thai Fish Cakes with Mango Avocado Salsa
These Thai fish cakes with mango avocado salsa are bursting with flavor! We lightly fry them in coconut oil so they're crispy on the outside but tender in the center. They're an easy light meal or appetizer, and they're ready in just 35 minutes!
If you like fish cakes, try our shrimp cakes with lemon aioli, and salmon cakes with avocado tartar sauce.
Table of contents
These tasty Thai fish cakes are inspired by Thai flavors and served with a tangy-sweet mango avocado salsa. While they're not the same as the ones you'd find served as a street snack in Thailand, they're a super flavorful and satisfying light meal.
We keep this recipe simple, so you don't need to pull out your food processor. The salmon is simply poached in a Thai-flavored coconut milk mixture, form it into patties, and then lightly pan-fry them until golden.
We could say that the mango avocado salsa isn't necessary, but we'd be lying. Its fresh, fruity taste is the perfect compliment and they're really not the same without it.
These Thai fish cakes are best enjoyed right away and they make a wonderfully easy light meal alongside our favorite coconut rice recipe.
Thai fish cakes ingredients
We love that a Thai fish cake is full of fresh, colorful ingredients! They're also much healthier than a deep-fried version from a Thai restaurant.
Here's everything you need to make the tasty Thai fish cakes:
- Salmon – our first choice for salmon is usually sockeye salmon but any variety of wild-caught salmon will work.
- Coconut milk – coconut milk is what we use to poach the salmon. You can use light coconut milk if you prefer.
- Thai red curry paste – we use Amoy or Mae Jin for all of our Thai curry recipes as they are both really flavourful without having a lot of heat.
- Garlic + ginger – this classic aromatic combo gives these fish cakes a boost of flavor.
- Sriracha – sriracha is optional if you like a bit of heat. Feel free to omit it for a less spicy (aka kid-friendly) fish cake version.
- Egg – egg works as a binder to help hold everything together.
- Breadcrumbs – any kind of fine breadcrumbs will work. If you're using panko breadcrumbs, we'd recommend giving them a pulse in your blender or food processor a few times. Use gluten-free bread crumbs if needed.
- All-purpose flour – we use all-purpose flour, but you can use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend to keep these cakes entirely gluten-free.
- Coconut oil – we love the coconut flavor this adds to the fish cakes. You can also use a neutral-flavored oil like avocado or canola.
What you need for the mango avocado salsa
- Mango – any variety of mango will work but we usually go for the sweet yellow-skinned ataulfo mangoes when they're in season.
- Avocado, red bell pepper, red onion – creamy ripe avocado, crunchy red bell pepper, and sweet yet pungent red onion make a delicious mix of flavors.
- Cilantro – fresh coriander leaves add a pop of green color and fresh bright flavor.
- Fresh lime juice – fresh lime juice is best! We also like to include some lime zest for an extra pop of flavor.
- Sea salt
How to make Thai fish cakes
This Thai fish cakes recipe is an easy, flavorful summer meal or snack any night of the week! Here's how we make them in a few simple steps:
- Make the mango avocado salsa by combining all the salsa ingredients together in a bowl.
- Poach the salmon skin-side up in the coconut milk, Thai curry paste, garlic, ginger, and sriracha.
- When it's cooked, peel off the salmon skin and then break the salmon into pieces. Then, continue cooking it until there's no more liquid left.
- Stir in the egg and breadcrumbs and form the fish into patties.
- Cook the patties in coconut oil until golden brown and crispy on both sides.
- Serve warm with plenty of salsa!
Full recipe instructions are in the recipe card below.
What to serve with Thai fish cakes
These Thai fish cakes can be enjoyed with the mango avocado salsa as an appetizer, but they're easily turned into a meal with some rice. While you're at it, make a double batch and tuck the leftovers into lunch boxes the next day!
They pair naturally with other Thai-inspired foods like Thai chicken peanut noodles, Thai peanut curry, or a bowl of coconut Thai borscht. And they go really well with a simple cucumber salad or sauteed green beans!
Recipe FAQs
You can store any leftover fish cakes in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 3 days. Leftover salsa can also be stored in the refrigerator but the avocado will oxidize and turn brown. Although the color is unappealing, it's totally fine to eat.
Yep, most of the common white fish fillets can be substituted for salmon. Halibut, mackerel, lingcod, tilapia, snapper, perch, basa, and monkfish to name a few. Just avoid anything too lean or delicate like tuna, swordfish, or flounder.
We don't love the ingredients in sweet chili sauce which is why we serve these with fresh mango avocado salsa. That said, if you enjoy sweet chili sauce, by all means, go for it!
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Ingredients
Mango Avocado Salsa
- 1 mango, cut into small cubes
- 1 avocado, cut into small cubes
- ¼ red pepper, cut into small cubes
- 2 tablespoons red onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- Juice from half a lime
- A pinch of sea salt
Thai Fish Cakes
- 1 ½ lb salmon
- ½ cup canned coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons red Thai curry paste, see note
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- ½ inch piece of ginger, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 1 large egg, beaten
- ¼ cup fine breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour, gluten-free if needed
- Coconut oil, for the pan
Instructions
- Combine all the salsa ingredients in a medium sized bowl and stir gently to mix. Set aside.1 mango, 1 avocado, ¼ red pepper, 2 tablespoons red onion, 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, Juice from half a lime, A pinch of sea salt
- Add the coconut milk, Thai curry paste, garlic, ginger, and sriracha to a large frying pan over medium-high heat and mix well. Add the salmon to the pan, skin side up, and let it poach for 10 minutes.1 ½ lb salmon, ½ cup canned coconut milk, 2 tablespoons red Thai curry paste, 2 cloves garlic, ½ inch piece of ginger, 1 teaspoon sriracha
- When the salmon is cooked, peel off the skin and discard it. Break the salmon into pieces using a wooden spoon and continue to cook it until the pan is dry. Remove the pan from the stove and let the salmon cool.
- Add the egg and breadcrumbs to the salmon and mix well. If the mixture is too wet to stick together, add more breadcrumbs. Form into 6 patties and dust both sides with the flour.1 large egg, ¼ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup fine breadcrumbs
- Add a big spoonful of coconut oil to a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the fish cakes and cook until crispy on one side, about 3 minutes. Carefully flip them over and cook until crispy on the other side.Coconut oil
- Serve the Thai fish cakes topped with plenty of salsa.
Notes
For more inspiration, check out all of our Thai-inspired recipes!
Amazing 👏
I have made these Thai Fishcakes before but never thought to pair them with mango salsa. Since I usually have pineapple left over from making Pineapple Fried Rice with the fishcakes, I will definitely try this out the next time I go Thai!
Pineapple Fried Rice sounds delicious! I’m going to have to try making some the next time I make these. 🙂
I have an egg intolerance but think this meal sounds fantastic. Do you have any suggestions on how I can make them without the egg? Any egg substitutions that might work? Thanks!
A lot of vegan recipes call for a chia or flax egg as a binder, and it might work in this recipe, too. To make one, you mix 1 tablespoon of either chia seeds or ground flax with 3 tablespoons of water and let it sit for about 10 minutes to thicken.
The other option is to bake them. Simply form into patties without the egg and bake them for about 15 minutes. They do dry out a bit this way, but they are still really good!
Its delicious, but it fell apart. Maybe an egg?
The recipe as written is quite delicate, which is why I chose to bake them. I’m actually in the process of reworking the recipe and will post it again early next month so your feedback comes at a great time.
I’m not exactly sure how you are cooking the salmon. So, you are cutting the salmon into chunks and with only a quarter cup of coconut milk you are tossing it until it cooks? Is that enough liquid? This recipe sounds delicious so I want to make sure I get it right.
Hi Maria,
So the coconut milk is really just for flavour. A lot of it will cook off while the salmon cooks. Actually if it didn’t cook off the salmon would be too wet. Hope you love the recipe!
Would you recommend using smoked salmon instead if you can’t get fresh salmon?
Hi Marty,
Hot smoked salmon (as opposed to cold smoked, like lox) would probably work great. I haven’t tried it but imagine it would be good with that too 🙂
How are you cutting up the salmon? Manually? Food processor? The picture looks like it’s not super chunky.
Hey John,
I just cut it up manually with a knife. I used a food processor once when making fish cakes and the fish turned into a paste. I definitely wouldn’t recommend it 🙂
This salsa sounds fabulous – so fresh and summery! With this 93°F heat we are having in the Carolina’s – just give be a bowl of that salsa with a big spoon and I’ll be happy 🙂
What kind of salmon do you recommend using for this recipe? Fresh or canned? Planning on making this for dinner tonight 🙂
Hi Katie,
I’ve only ever made this with fresh salmon before. Although it would be different I would suspect that it would also turn out if you used canned salmon. If you decide to use canned salmon I would love to hear how it turned out!