Asian Fish Cakes With Sweet Chile Dipping Sauce - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 lbs cod fish fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large eggs
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs, plus 1 cup for dredging
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
4 green onions, white and tender green parts only, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon lime zest
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
canola oil (for frying)
Sweet Chile Dipping Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons thai sweet chili sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation

Make the Dipping Sauce: In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir to mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Make the Fish Cakes: Put the fish in a food processor and pulse just until uniformly minced, about 10 times. Be careful not to overprocess or the fish will turn into a paste. Transfer to a large bowl and add the eggs, the 1/2 cup bread crumbs, the cilantro, green onions, ginger, lime zest, garlic, fish sauce, salt, and pepper. Using your hands or a rubber spatula, gently fold and toss the ingredients together until well combined.
In a nonstick frying pan, heat a splash of oil over medium-high heat. Pinch off a small piece of the fish mixture and fry until cooked through, about 1 minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning of the remaining fish mixture if needed.
Place the 1 cup bread crumbs in a shallow dish. Shape the fish mixture into cakes about 2 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick. Coat each cake thoroughly with the bread crumbs, shaking off the excess.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels. Pour oil to a depth of 1/2 inch into the frying pan and heat until hot and shimmering but not smoking. Working in batches as needed to avoid crowding, add the cakes, placing them about 1 inch apart, and fry, turning once, until golden brown and crispy, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to the paper towels to drain and season with salt while still warm.
Transfer the cakes to a platter or individual plates and serve. Pass the dipping sauce at the table.