Chestnut Free Ginger-Turmeric Snapper Cakes with Carrot
These golden fish cakes are bold, bright, and packed with flavor from fresh ginger, ground turmeric, and sweet grated carrot — a combination that makes every bite feel vibrant and a little unexpected. The snapper is hand-chopped rather than blended, so the cakes have real texture and substance, not the dense, pasty quality you sometimes get with fish patties. Rice flour binds everything together cleanly, keeping the ingredient list short and free from any tree nut derivatives that can sneak into specialty coatings or binders. Coconut oil gives the exterior a beautifully deep golden crust with a faint natural sweetness that plays perfectly against the warm spice of the turmeric. The cool ricotta dipping sauce — stirred together with parsley and a splash of apple cider vinegar — cuts through the richness and ties the whole plate together. This is the kind of recipe that feels impressive enough for guests but is genuinely straightforward to pull off at home, with no complicated techniques and nothing to second-guess at the store.
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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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