A spin on the classic crab cake!  These lovely little spicy cakes can be made in advance and frozen for any luncheon or cocktail party you may have.   They are quick to make and can be served as an appetizer with a small green salad, as a cocktail bite, or as a full luncheon plate.  The size you make is up to you! 


Ingredients
Makes 6 large cakes or 24 cocktail size cakes

2 cups cooked and chopped prawns
4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
3 finely sliced green onions
Half of a red pepper, finely chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbsp. finely chopped ginger
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. chili sauce (Sambal)
1 bunch chopped cilantro
1 lime, zest and juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. mayonnaise (if needed)

Dipping Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh Cilantro for garnish


Method

The best place to start with this recipe is the potatoes.  Yukon Gold potatoes have a wonderful texture and the cooked products tend to be a bit more meaty and drier than regular russet potatoes.  If you wish, you can leave the skin on or simply peel them.  Cut them up into large pieces and cook in salted water for 15 to 20 minutes.  When they are fork tender, immediately remove them from the water and let them air dry.  The potatoes should be cold when making the final product.  Next step is the aromatics.  In a frying pan, add your vegetable and sesame oil and turn burner to a medium heat.  When the pan is warm, add the chopped green onions, chopped red peppers, minced garlic and ginger.  Sauté these ingredients for a few minutes until they are soft and you can smell their aroma.  Remove from the heat and cool in a large mixing bow.  When these ingredients are cool, add your chopped and cooked prawns and also the cooled potatoes.  The kitchen tool best suited to combine the ingredients is a potato masher.  Mash all of the ingredients together until they are well combined.  You shouldn’t have any large chunks of potato.  With a wooden spoon, stir in the soy sauce, chili sauce, chopped cilantro, zest and juice of the lime, and salt and pepper to taste.  Because everything is cooked, you can certainly taste at this stage and re-season with chili sauce or salt and pepper.  If you find that the mixture is to dry and crumbly, add the tablespoon of mayonnaise to combine. Using your hands, form the cakes in any size you choose.  Place on a floured cookie sheet and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.  The cakes can be pan fried with a splash of vegetable oil on medium heat.  Fry for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown. 

Tips:  If you wish to freeze them, transfer the formed cakes into the freezer in one layer on the cookie sheet.  When they are frozen solid, remove them and store them in Ziploc bags.  To use from the freezer, thaw them flat on a cookie sheet for half an hour before frying.  Dredge them in a little bit of flour before they go into the pan.  Also, if you don’t want to fry them, they work beautifully in the oven.  Again, place them on a non-stick cookie sheet with a bit of pan spray and bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes, turning them half way through.

Serve the Thai Prawn Cakes warm or at room temperature with the dipping sauce.

Enjoy!

Copyright North Shore Magazine Issue Dec 07-Jan 08