One of my favorite side dishes, these Spicy Fish Cakes come together quickly and easily with a few simple ingredients. Sweet, salty, and flavorful, it goes with any meal and can be enjoyed warm or chilled.

This is one of those side dishes that I am obsessed with! The first time I had it was at a Korean restaurant, and I was immediately hooked. Ever since then, my freezer has never not had a pack of fish cake in it. This recipe doesn’t require a lot of work. I usually just toss a few slices of fish cake in a skillet with some pantry staples (soy sauce, mirin, etc) and it’s never not turned out delicious. Today, I’m sharing a spicy version that I’m currently obsessed with.

Overhead view of a plate of spicy fish cakes.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It comes together in less than 20 minutes, making for the perfect side dish. There’s not a ton of prep work, so you can whip this up while you have something else simmering on the stovetop or baking in the oven.
It goes with everything! Sometimes I even eat it straight from the fridge on top of plain jasmine rice!
It is flavorful while leaning heavily into pantry staples. It’s so simple but delicious!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients needed to make spicy fish cakes.

fish cakes — you can find this in the freezer section of a Korean grocery store. It’s usually made with surimi and comes in different shapes and sizes. I get the sheet ones and cut them into rectangles.
onions — I sliced a small yellow onion. Feel free to use more or less.
oil — feel free to use olive oil or for more flavor, sesame oil.
soy sauce — I recommend using low-sodium soy sauce.
anchovy sauce — also known as Korean fish sauce, this adds a delicious umami flavor to the fish cakes.
mirin — mirin is a Japanese sweet rice wine, if you are unable to find it, you can try rice vinegar with extra honey.
garlic — some freshly minced garlic does wonders for a recipe!
gochugaru — aka Korean chili/hot pepper powder.
oligo syrup — this is a rich and sweet rice syrup. If you do not have this, swap with honey.

How to Make Spicy Fish Cakes

Boil water and pour over the fish cakes in a fine mesh strainer.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onions and fish cakes. Saute them for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the soy sauce, anchovy sauce, and mirin to the skillet. Continue to stir fry for another minute.

Add the minced garlic and stir fry for another minute before adding the gochugaru. Continue to stir fry until the fish cakes are coated with the gochugaru.
Add the oligo syrup and stir fry for another minute before adding the sesame seeds. Toss until everything is coated evenly before serving.

Overhead view of fish cakes in a small plate.

Recipe Tips and Notes

Running the fish cakes under boiling water helps remove some of the grease. The fish cakes are deep fried so they can be a little oily.
Make sure to have everything measured and ready to go as this recipe moves fast. The fish cake and onions can burn if left alone for too long.
You can also add fish cakes to a pot of boiling water and strain them out after a minute or so.

Make Ahead Tips

Meal prep: once cooled, store spicy fish cakes in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Reheat: you can reheat this in the microwave or stovetop. You can also enjoy this chilled straight from the fridge.

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Spicy Fish Cakes

One of my favourite side dishes, these Spicy Fish Cakes come together quickly and easily with a few simple ingredients. Sweet, salty, and flavorful, it goes with any meal and can be enjoyed warm or chilled.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 20

Servings: servings

Ingredients

6 sheets fish cakes, cut into 9 pieces per sheet
1 small onion, sliced
1 tablespoon oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon anchovy sauce, or fish sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon gochugaru
1½ tablespoon oligo syrup
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
green onions, opional as garnish

Instructions

Boil water and pour over the fish cakes in a fine mesh strainer.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onions and fish cakes. Saute them for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the soy sauce, anchovy sauce, and mirin to the skillet. Continue to stir fry for another minute.
Add the minced garlic and stir fry for another minute before adding the gochugaru. Continue to stir fry until the fish cakes are coated with the gochugaru.
Add the oligo syrup and stir fry for another minute before adding the sesame seeds. Toss until everything is coated evenly before serving.

Tried this recipe?Did you make this recipe? I’m always so happy to hear about it! I’d love to see how it turned out. Tag me at @CarmysHungry on Instagram so I can see it! If you enjoyed the recipe, I’d really appreciate a comment with a 5 star rating! ♥

Author: Carmy

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian, Korean

Nutrition Disclaimer

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