Honey 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 a little unexpected in the best way. The snapper is hand-chopped rather than blended, so the cakes have real texture and substance instead of that dense, pasty quality you sometimes get with fish patties. Coconut oil gives the exterior a beautifully crisp, deep-golden crust that holds together without any fuss. 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 rounds everything out. Many store-bought sauces and marinades sneak in sweeteners, so making everything from scratch here means you stay in full control of what goes on the plate. Rice flour keeps the cakes light and gluten-friendly while still binding the mixture just enough to pan-fry cleanly. This is the kind of weeknight dinner that looks impressive but comes together with straightforward ingredients and a simple two-batch skillet method.
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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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