Preparation time: 25 minutes. Makes 12 small fishcakes
• 2 x 7 1/2 oz cans wild red or pink salmon
• 1 generous tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 egg, beaten
• pinch of salt
• all-purpose flour, as needed
• 3 scallions, very finely chopped
• 1 small red chili, seeded and finely chopped
• vegetable oil, for frying
For the cucumber salad
• splash of rice vinegar
• tiny splash of fish sauce
• 1/4 red onion, very finely diced
• 1 tsp sweet chili sauce
• pinch of salt
• large pinch of sugar
• 1/3 small red chili, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced into 1/4 in thick crescents
Rather than making these in advance for the sole purpose of eating them for your lunch the next day, why not make enough for that evening and for your lunch? This recipe will make enough for two people as a pre-dinner snack after a long and taxing day, and one person for lunch the following day. Just don’t ruin your pre-planning skills by eating them all straight away
The night before
Drain the salmon and add to a bowl, removing any skin and bones. Add the curry paste, fish sauce, beaten egg, and salt and mix thoroughly, until everything is well combined. You want a mixture that is thick enough to handle and form into patties, so if it’s looking too wet add a bit of flour. Add the scallions and chopped chili and mix again. Separate the mix into little cakes, about 3 in wide, and put to the side on a plate. Heat about an inch of vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pan.
While the oil is heating, add everything for the cucumber salad dressing except the chili to a bowl and mix. Add the chili sparingly, and taste as you go for hotness. Keep the dressing and sliced cucumber separately in the fridge.
When the oil is very hot (you can test by dropping in a small piece of the fish mixture and seeing if it sizzles), carefully add the fishcakes and cook until crisp and brown on each side, around 2 minutes. Try not to over-handle them. Once cooked, remove and leave to sit on a plate covered with a paper towel. Enjoy piping hot as a pre-dinner treat with sweet chili sauce.
Come lunchtime
Refrigerate overnight and eat the leftovers the next day with the cucumber salad (mix the dressing and sliced cucumber together in a container in the morning). Try to keep everything refrigerated at work, if possible.