Mushroom Free Ginger-Turmeric Snapper Cakes with Carrot
These golden pan-fried fish cakes are bright, aromatic, and genuinely exciting — the kind of dish that feels restaurant-worthy but comes together with a cutting board and a skillet. Fresh red snapper gets hand-chopped for real texture, then folded with grated carrot, punchy fresh ginger, and earthy turmeric before being fried in coconut oil until deeply golden on both sides. The squeeze-dry technique for the carrot is a small but crucial step that keeps the cakes compact and crisp rather than soggy, so don't skip it. A cool, herb-flecked ricotta dipping sauce made with fresh parsley and a splash of apple cider vinegar ties everything together with a creamy, tangy contrast. For anyone navigating a fungi-free diet, this recipe is naturally in the clear — every single ingredient is straightforward and easy to verify, with no hidden fillers or ambiguous pantry shortcuts. Rice flour keeps the cakes light and gluten-adjacent-free while still giving them enough structure to flip cleanly. Whether you're serving these as a weeknight dinner or a crowd-pleasing appetizer, they disappear fast.
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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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