Fish Cakes with Coriander Chutney. Actually these are more often called Indian Fish Cutlets, but I keep calling them cakes. And wow, these little cakes really pack a punch of flavor, I can’t even describe how delicious they are. I can only recommend making them and devouring them. Over the holidays we had some friends visiting from Malaysia, we cooked quite a bit and this is one of the dishes they prepared. When I first tasted this fish cake out of the frying pan I just couldn’t believe how incredible it was. The recipe makes quite a bit, maybe 20-30 cakes, we had put some in the freezer and that’s what I cooked for this post. They taste just as good as the day they were made. I love Indian food but haven’t really made much, or any for that matter, so it’s exciting to try new dishes and be cooking Indian food rather than dining out. Although Bollywood Theatre here in Portland has such good Indian food. If you find yourself in Portland and love Indian food, this is the place to go. And the chutney? It’s so good. This is very close to what you might find at an Indian restaurant. I made this thinner than what they had prepared, and a little less hot as well. I used one small chili pepper and it is hot! The heat will probably vary depending on the size of your pepper, so you might want to taste and tweak as needed.

I was actually able to capture a bit of sunlight for the ingredients photos, this is a rare moment here in Portland! The dish however was taken with a table top light. It’s actually not too bad and works better than my soft box lights.

Many thanks to Shalini for sharing this great recipe!

Indian Fish Cakes with Coriander Chutney

10 ounces tuna, 2 cans of tuna in water, drained
1 lb of potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed
a few sprigs cilantro leaves, about 1/4 cup, chopped
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium sized onions, finely chopped
4 small chili peppers, finely chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
3 eggs, whisked
1 teaspoon salt
Canola oil for frying
Bread crumbs (I used Panko style)

Prepare the potatoes ahead, mash them and set aside to cool a bit. Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well (except the oil and bread crumbs). Shape them into round disks, about 2” in diameter. Place the bread crumbs in a dish and coat each cake in bread crumbs. In a large frying pan heat a generous amount of oil until hot. Fry the cakes until golden brown on each side (about 2-3 minutes per side), transfer to paper towel lined plate. Serve with Coriander Chutney, recipe below.

The uncooked cakes can be frozen and cooked another time, place plastic wrap or parchment paper between them while stacking in a container. You can fry them frozen or allow them to defrost overnight in the refrigerator.

Coriander Chutney

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, stems removed
1/2 inch piece of ginger, grated
1 small green chili, chopped
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoon water, more if needed

Combine all the ingredients in a blender, blend well and add water to get desired consistency. I added more than 2 tablespoons water to get a saucier consistency. Check the flavor, I used 1 very small chili and it was hot! You can add more cilantro or coconut to adjust the heat.