4small Thai chilies (red), one whole and 3 finely chopped
Flaky salt
Black pepper
1.5 TablespoonsThai Red Curry Paste
1egg
2 Tablespoonsmayonnaise
1/2Lemon, juiced
1.5 cupscilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1 cupparsley leaves, roughly chopped
2Brioche or Potato burger buns
2 teaspoonsextra virgin olive oil
1/4 cupcanola oil
Not your average fish sandwich! This Thai-inspired version gets a kick from red curry and zing from pickled celery and herbs.
Recipe, food styling & photography by Sarah McLellan Mee.
Step 1In a bowl, cover your thinly sliced celery with apple cider vinegar and set aside.
Step 2Add two cloves of garlic, a small handful of cilantro stems, and one small Thai chili to a mortar and pestle with a hefty pinch of salt. Grind into a rough paste.
Step 3Roughly chop the Barramundi into chunks and add to a food processor along with the red curry paste, garlic-cilantro paste, an egg, and salt and pepper. Blitz until the fish breaks down to a paste and all ingredients have combined.
Step 4On a plate covered with baking paper, spoon mixture to create four round cakes that resemble the shape of a burger.
Step 5In a small bowl, stir mayo, lemon juice, garlic, and the remaining chopped chili to combine. Add 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro and stir through.
Step 6In a heavy-bottomed pan, add ¼ inch of canola oil and bring to med-high heat. Gently add the fish cakes to the pan and cook until brown on each side and cooked through, about 3-4 mins on each side.
Step 7Drizzle buns with olive oil and broil until golden brown.
Step 8Drain the vinegar from the celery and toss with roughly chopped cilantro and parsley. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Step 9To assemble sandwiches, add aioli to the bottom of the bun, then layer the fish cake, celery and herbs and then top with another mayo slathered bun.