Almond Free Ginger-Turmeric Snapper Cakes with Carrot
These golden pan-fried fish cakes are bold, fragrant, and genuinely exciting to eat — the kind of dish that feels restaurant-worthy but comes together in a home kitchen without much fuss. Fresh red snapper gets hand-chopped for real texture, then folded with grated carrot, bright ginger, and earthy turmeric before being seared in coconut oil until deeply golden on both sides. The rice flour binder keeps everything together while staying completely free of tree nuts, so there's no need to scrutinize labels or swap anything out. Squeezing the moisture from the carrot and chilling the mixture before shaping are the two small steps that make the difference between cakes that hold their shape and ones that fall apart in the pan. The cool ricotta dipping sauce — stirred together with parsley and a splash of apple cider vinegar — cuts right through the warmth of the spices and adds a creamy, tangy contrast that ties the whole plate together. This is a genuinely satisfying weeknight dinner that happens to be naturally safe for anyone avoiding almonds or other tree nuts, with zero compromise on flavor.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the cakes
- 1 lb fresh red snapper fillets, skin removed, pin bones removed
- 1 cup finely grated carrot (about 2 medium carrots)
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 large egg
- 3 tbsp rice flour
- ¾ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, for frying
For the dipping sauce
- ½ cup fresh ricotta
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
For serving
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley sprigs (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Make the dipping sauce: stir together the ricotta, parsley, apple cider vinegar, and 1/4 tsp salt in a small bowl until smooth. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the cakes.
- 2
Pat the snapper fillets completely dry with paper towels, then finely chop them by hand into pieces no larger than 1/4 inch — do not use a food processor, as the fish should have some texture, not become a paste. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
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