Cuban Fish Yuca Cakes with Mojo de Ajo Sauce

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 2 hr
Makes 6 servings.

For red snapper yuca cakes:
1 1/2 lb fresh (frozen) yuca*
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 medium onion, halved lengthwise then thinly sliced lengthwise
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 lb red snapper fillets, skinned and any bones removed
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
For mojo de ajo
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup fresh orange juice (from 2 oranges)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
6 fresh Thai chiles (red or green), seeded and minced, or 2 to 3 serrano chiles (including seeds), minced
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallot (4 small)
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Accompaniment: lime wedges

Make cakes:
Simmer yuca in boiling salted water until fork-tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Drain yuca and transfer to a large bowl, then cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. While yuca is cooling, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion with cumin and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes.

Sprinkle salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon cayenne over fish and add to onion in skillet, then sauté, turning fish over once, until just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer fish with onion to a plate and cool to room temperature. Remove thin, fibrous core from yuca if necessary, then coarsely mash yuca with a wooden spoon.

Flake fish and add to yuca along with onion and herbs, tossing to combine (mixture will be coarse). Form into 12 (2 1/2-inch) cakes (1 inch thick) and transfer to a wax-paper-lined tray. Cover cakes with plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes.

Make mojo while cakes chill:
Cook garlic in oil in a small skillet over low heat, stirring, until just softened, about 3 minutes.
Transfer garlic with oil to a small bowl and stir in remaining mojo ingredients. Chill mojo, covered, until serving. Sauté cakes: Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat in a 12-inch heavy skillet (preferably nonstick) until hot but not smoking, then sauté half of cakes, turning over once, until browned and heated through, about 8 minutes total.

Sauté remaining cakes in remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Serve with mojo and lime wedges.

Cooks' notes:
• Formed cakes (not sautéed) and mojo can be chilled up to 1 day.

• Formed cakes (not sautéed) can be frozen, wrapped well, 2 weeks. Thaw in refrigerator before cooking. *Available at Latino markets and some supermarkets.