A favorite offering in Thai restaurants, usually as an appetizer, is tod mun, little fried fish cakes scented with kaffir lime leaf. These spicy fish cakes are good any time of year and make a fine snack with drinks, served with a little dipping sauce.

But for a light, simple home-cooked meal with big flavors (my goal today), I’ll make a pot of steamed jasmine rice and a few of these savory morsels to go with it, along with a gingery slaw of cabbage, carrot and cucumber. No doubt I’ll also stir-fry some spinach or Chinese greens to round out the feast.

Though my version of tod mun is not completely authentic, I think it is pretty faithful to the flavors of the original. Kaffir lime leaf is used in many dishes throughout Southeast Asia and Indonesia (the limes are also known as makruts, and in South Africa, “kaffir” is a racial insult). It provides the unique floral, citrusy flavor. The lime leaf is not absolutely necessary in this recipe, but it’s a bit of a pity to leave it out.

Thankfully, the leaves are available, if not from your local Asian grocery, then online (try kaffirlimeleaves.com), or if you become a real die-hard, from the live tree you keep in a pot in a sunny window. (Failing that, you might try a mix of lime zest and minced lemon grass, although it’s not really a substitute for the fragrant leaf.)

Most recipes call for any white-fleshed fish, but I like to use sea scallops, which give the cakes a wonderful texture. You could also use half scallops and half fish, or add a little shrimp or crab meat to the base. Rather than using a meat grinder, which is traditional but is usually followed by a lot of hand beating, I get out the food processor. A piece of equipment I normally avoid, it does the job admirably in this case.

The scallop or fish mixture can be made several hours ahead, or even a day before. The cooking takes a few minutes in a hot skillet. The fish cakes are typically deep-fried, but I cook them more like pancakes, with only a little oil, usually coconut oil, which adds a sweet complementary note.

Thai-Style Sea Scallop Cakes

Makes 4-6 servings.

For the dipping sauce:

1⁄4 C rice wine vinegar

1⁄4 C brown sugar

2 or 3 tiny Thai chiles, red or green, thinly sliced

2 TBS chopped or crushed roasted unsalted peanuts

2 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp grated ginger

For the fish cakes:

1 lb sea scallops, or 1⁄2 lb sea scallops plus 1⁄2 lb halibut, cod or other firm white-fleshed fish

1⁄2 tsp salt

1⁄2 tsp black or white pepper

2 tsp fish sauce

2 sm garlic cloves, smashed to a paste with a little salt

1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated

6 scallions, thinly sliced

2 tsp finely chopped serrano or jalapeno chile, or to taste

1⁄2 C cilantro leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped

4 kaffir lime leaves, slivered thinly

1 small egg, lightly beaten

Peanut or coconut oil for frying

To make the dipping sauce, combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

To make the sea scallop cakes, put the sea scallops in the bowl of a food processor. Add the salt, pepper, fish sauce, garlic and ginger. Process to a fine-ground paste, about 1 minute.

Add the scallions, chile, cilantro, kaffir lime leaves and egg. Pulse a few times to combine well. The paste can be transferred to another container and refrigerated until ready to cook, up to a day ahead.

Pour peanut or coconut oil to a depth of 1/4 inch into a wide skillet and turn the heat to medium high. When the oil is hot, carefully add the fish cake mixture in large spoonfuls. Fry in batches if necessary to avoid crowding. Adjust the heat to allow the cakes to brown gently for about 3 minutes, then flip them. Flatten them gently with a spatula and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Drain on absorbent paper, then serve hot, with the dipping sauce.