East meets West in this Primal/Paleo culinary take on fishcakes and coleslaw. Without the potato, flour and breadcrumbs used in traditional fishcake recipes, these Asian inspired, fishcakes are so much simpler and quicker to make.
Fresh and light - with no mayo or endless amounts of shredded cabbage to chomp your way through - the Pad Thai ‘Slaw’ is also a wonderful thing!
Put the two together for a surprisingly satisfying, clean-eating, Omega-3 packed family meal that’s high in protein and low in carbs.
Vegetarians can also make a meal of this punchy-flavoured Paleo Pad Thai ‘Slaw’ by topping it with 60g toasted cashew nuts and replacing the salmon fishcakes with slices of freshly griddled ‘vegetarian-friendly’ - i.e. not made with animal rennet - halloumi cheese - you’ll need to allow about 80g-100g of halloumi per person.
Tasty, pure and simple…job done!
Spicy Salmon Fishcakes With Paleo Pad Thai ‘Slaw’ (Serves 4)
Ingredients - for the fishcakes
800 g wild Alaskan salmon, boned and skinned
3 spring onions, finely chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp organic dried chilli flakes
1 tbsp tamari
1 dsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated (approx. 1 x 2.5 cm / 1inch piece)
4 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
1 organic egg, beaten
1 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
75-100 g organic ground almonds
1-2 tbsp organic coconut oil - for frying the fishcakes
Ingredients - for the Paleo Pad Thai ‘Slaw’
2 medium courgettes, cut into thin slices, coarsely grated or spiralised (see Notes below)
3 medium carrots, cut into thin slices, coarsely grated or spiralised (see Notes below)
200g frozen baby broad beans, thawed and shelled (about 120g prepared weight)
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 tbsp raw organic sesame seeds
Ingredients - for the dressing
40 ml fresh lime juice
40 g raw organic cashew nut butter
1 tbsp tamari (I used Clearspring)
40 ml Co Yo natural coconut milk yogurt
1-2 drops organic liquid stevia
Ingredients - to serve
1 tsp raw sesame seeds
coriander leaves and/or micro leaves
Instructions - to make the fishcakes
Put all the fishcake ingredients, except the ground almonds, into a food processor and pulse together until well blended. N.B. Be careful not to over-process - you want the mixture to retain a little of its chunky texture rather than turn into a mushy fish paste!
Tip the fishcake mixture into a large bowl and add just enough of the ground almonds to ensure that it will hold together sufficiently well to form into fishcakes. The final mixture may still feel a little wet but should be easy enough to shape in your hands and will firm up in the refrigerator prior to cooking.
Divide into 8 fishcakes about 2.5 cm / 1 inch thick (weighing approximately 125g each). Transfer to a large plate, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Heat the coconut oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium/high heat until the surface of the oil starts to shimmer (don’t allow it to smoke!). Cook the fishcakes for 3 minutes until crisp and golden on the underside, then flip them over and cook on the other side for another 3 minutes.
Serve with Pad Thai ‘Slaw’ and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Instructions - for the Paleo Pad Thai ‘Slaw’
Using a small hand whisk, combine all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl or cup until you have a smooth dressing that’s of pouring consistency.
To quickly defrost and remove the broad beans from their pods. Weigh out the frozen broad beans into a heatproof bowl or jug. Bring a kettle of water to the boil and pour over the beans. Let stand for 3-5 minutes. When the water has cooled down pop the tender, bright green beans out of their thick, leathery skins by squeezing gently between two fingers.
In a large bowl, combine courgette, carrots and shelled broad beans. Add the chopped chives and sesame seeds, mix together gently and set aside.
Just before serving, pour over the dressing and gently toss all the ingredients together until the vegetables are evenly coated.
Transfer to plates and top with a sprinkling of sesame seeds, chopped coriander and/or micro leaves.
Serve with either Spicy Salmon Fishcakes or Fried Halloumi and Toasted Cashews (see below).
The vegetarian option: Fried Halloumi and Toasted Cashews
Instructions to make Fried Halloumi & Toasted Cashews With Paleo Pad Thai 'Slaw' (V)
Firstly, toast the cashews in a large frying pan over a medium heat for about 5 minutes or until turning pale gold, then take off the heat and set aside.
Cut the halloumi into 1 cm thick slices. Heat some coconut oil or olive oil in a pan until hot, then fry the halloumi for just 1-2 minutes on each side until golden and crispy around the edges.
Arrange the Paleo Pad Thai ‘Slaw’ on 4 serving plates, top with the toasted cashews, sesame seeds and coriander leaves, then serve the fried cheese slices (3-4 per person) alongside, with wedges of fresh lime for squeezing over.
N.B. Be sure to plate-up the fried halloumi immediately after it’s cooked - it’s so much nicer warm! If you allow cooked halloumi to go cold, it will tend to become too hard and rubbery.
Notes
To make carrot and courgette julienne for the Paleo Pad Thai ‘Slaw’, I first cut the washed courgettes and peeled carrots in half horizontally, then finely sliced the halved vegetables vertically (on a mandolin) before using a small sharp knife to cut them into 6 cm long thin julienne strips. Coarsely grating them in a food processor would be a lot quicker!
The Paleo Pad Thai ‘Slaw’ is suitable for vegans.
Carbohydrate 17g Protein 66g - per serving (assuming 2 fishcakes per person)
