Introduction
Long before food trends started getting clever, Egyptian cooks were turning fresh fish, herbs, spices, and garlic into simple patties that could feed a family properly. These fish kofta patties are packed with cumin, coriander, parsley, garlic, and lemon, creating something that sits somewhere between a fish cake and a kebab. Crispy outside. Soft and fragrant inside. Perfect with flatbreads, salad, or straight off the tray while they're still too hot to handle properly. Simple ingredients. Ancient flavours. Proper food.
You’ll Need
500g white fish fillets (cod, haddock, pollock, sea bass, or tilapia)
1 small onion, finely grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 egg
60g breadcrumbs
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
Small handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
Oil spray
For the Yoghurt Sauce
4 tbsp Greek yoghurt
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Pinch of salt
Optional but Dangerous
Warm flatbreads
Tomato salad
Pickled onions
Chilli sauce
Method
Preheat your air fryer to 190°C.
Finely chop the fish by hand or pulse briefly in a food processor until roughly minced.
Place the fish into a large bowl.
Add the onion, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, parsley, lemon juice, and olive oil.
Mix thoroughly until everything binds together.
Form into 8–10 oval kofta-style patties.
Lightly spray the air fryer basket with oil.
Place the patties into the basket in a single layer.
Spray the tops lightly with oil.
Air fry at 190°C for 10–12 minutes, carefully turning halfway through, until golden and cooked through.
While the fish cooks, mix together the yoghurt, lemon juice, parsley, and salt.
Allow the kofta patties to rest for 1 minute before serving.
Serve hot with the yoghurt sauce, flatbreads, or salad if using.