While it’s absolute heaven in baked sweet treats, lemon myrtle also works beautifully with seafood, as you’ll discover in this episode of Make it delicious. – Flavours of Australia. Darren Robertson and Nornie Bero add some native zing to Thai fish cakes, which come with a tangy pickled cabbage salad.

Related story: Nornie Bero’s guide to lemon myrtle and why less is always more

Thai lemon myrtle fish cakes with pickled cabbage & herb salad recipe

SERVES 4

Ingredients

• 350g skinless, boneless white fish fillet, chopped (we used ling) 
• 1 egg
• 1 tbs fish sauce
• 2 tsp Massel chicken stock powder 
• 1 tsp runny honey
• 1 tsp lemon myrtle powder, plus extra to sprinkle
• 3 long green shallots, white part only, thinly sliced (reserve green tops for salad)
• 100g green beans, thinly sliced
• 2 tbs coriander stalks, finely chopped
• Peanut oil, to shallow-fry
• Lime wedges, to serve
• Hot sauce (optional), to serve

Pickled cabbage & herb salad

• ¼ (250g) small red cabbage, thinly sliced
• Juice of 1 lime
• Green tops of 3 long green shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 tbs fish sauce
• 1 bunch coriander, leaves picked
• 1 bunch mint, leaves picked

Method

1. For the pickled cabbage & herb salad, place cabbage and juice in a large bowl, toss to combine well and leave for 10 minutes to pickle and turn bright pink. 
2. To make the fish cakes, in a food processor, add fish, honey, lemon myrtle, fish sauce, Massel chicken stock and salt flakes to taste. Using the pulse button, whiz until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in white long green shallot, beans and coriander stalks until well combined. With wet hands, shape mixture into 12 cakes. 
3. Place enough oil in a large, deep non-stick frypan to reach a depth of 1cm. Heat over medium-high heat. Season fish cakes with salt flakes, then shallow-fry in batches, for 3 minutes each side or until cooked and golden. Transfer to paper towel.
4. Just before serving, add green shallot, fish sauce and herbs to pickled cabbage. Toss to combine.
5. Serve fish cakes with pickled cabbage & herb salad and lime wedges, and hot sauce alongside.

Watch the rest of Make it delicious. Flavours of Australia here.