These swordfish pastries and sweet potato cakes are a delicious and unique twist on party appetizers or finger foods. By using a less well-known fish like swordfish, I aimed to highlight its rich flavor while ensuring it stays moist during cooking. I’ve balanced the natural flavors of the fish with a combination of sweet, umami, and acidic ingredients, creating a filling that’s both flavorful and tender, all wrapped in a flaky puff pastry for added texture.

The sweet potato cakes are indulgent and surprisingly easy to make. Instead of the traditional deep-frying method, I pan-fry them to a golden crisp, which makes them lighter but just as satisfying. The creamy texture of the mashed sweet potatoes, combined with the crispy exterior, creates the perfect balance. Both the swordfish pastries and the sweet potato cakes are ideal for serving as appetizers or finger foods at parties, offering a flavorful and approachable way to enjoy these gourmet ingredients without too much fuss in the kitchen.

Ingredients

Swordfish Pastry:

1 Kohlrabi
(It’s September and Kohlrabi is in season during early October. It’s a vegetable I don’t see being used often but it’s one of my personal favorite due to it’s bouncy texture and sweet flavor).

Ginger (1 tablespoon)

Garlic (2 cloves)

Garum (2 teaspoons)
(A sauce used in Europe by fermenting fish. You can find it in most American supermarkets. It’s analogous to Asian fish sauce but sweeter and a little less fishy. I like using it in this recipe since the swordfish has a lot of umami already. It just serves as savory seasoning that pairs better than salt).

Mirin or Honey (1 tablespoon)
(You can find the former floral sweetener at the asian section of your supermarkets).

Sugar (1 teaspoon)
(I use two different sweeteners. Sugar gives the filling a sweet taste, whereas the sweeteners above neutralizes the fishiness of the swordfish)

Pepper (1 teaspoon)

Cornstarch (1 teaspoon)

Puff Pastry

Sweet Potato Cakes:

Sweet Potato (2 medium sized)

Milk (100ml)

Cornstarch (1/4 cup)

Quick Sauce for the Pastry:

Blend Cilantro, Green Onion, Vinegar, Oregano and Olive Oil for a sour and fresh green sauce

Instructions

  1. Begin by preparing the sweet potato cakes. Wrap the sweet potatoes in foil and roast them at 400°F for 50 minutes. While they cook, proceed with the next steps.
  2. Finely chop the kohlrabi, ginger, and garlic, and stir fry them in sesame oil over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
  3. Transfer the stir-fried mixture into a bowl, then mix in garum, honey or mirin, sugar, pepper, and cornstarch. The added wet ingredients help keep the swordfish filling moist during cooking.
  4. Roll the mixture into balls about 4 cm in diameter, and refrigerate them for 10 minutes to firm up.
  5. Wrap each ball in puff pastry, score the top, brush with egg wash, and bake for 28 minutes.
  6. Once the potatoes are done, mash them with milk and cornstarch. Spread the mixture out on a tray(1cm in height) and Freeze the mixture until it’s firm and leaves no residue when touched.
  7. Shape the sweet potato mixture into your desired forms—squares, sticks, or circles—and pan-fry until golden brown.
  8. When the swordfish pastries are ready, serve them alongside the sweet potato cakes.
  9. Optionally, pair them with a tangy sauce for a refreshing contrast.
  10. Though you’re making two separate items, they work great as appetizers or fun game day snacks!

Some extra information: Hello everybody! This is Tam and I hope you have been enjoying my LexKook series so far — more recipes to come! Having just graduated high school, I’m on the path to being a math major and hospitality minor in college. I’m currently using some of my knowledge of the sciences to deduce some of the cooking times and ingredient measurements in my recipes. This way I know how much to buy of what I need as well as avoid needing to use excess gas to cook. It’s a work in process but my aim is to encourage sustainable cooking Here are some calculations I did for this recipe if you are interested in my findings:

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