How to Make Fish Balls

Homemade Fish Balls are the ultimate chewy seafood snack for any occasion. With this deliciously easy recipe, you can make these bites better than ever before and in a flash!

 

What are Fish Balls?

• Fish balls are a delightfully chewy and fishy snack with fans worldwide! It is a favorite Filipino snack with fish as the main ingredient. The fish meat is processed and mixed with other spices to form a fish paste. They are formed into a deep-fried ball and drenched with homemade fish sauce to level their deliciousness.

 

Why You’ll love this Homemade Fish Balls  Recipe

• Homemade fish balls are way different from store-bought ones, and the homemade ones are tastier, less bouncy, and chewy and have no added MSG. When homemade, it’s made from pure fish meat and made only of natural ingredients and no artificial flavors!

 

• There are several ways you can use these fishballs. Add it to your soup, noodles, and in your curry. Add it as one of the ingredients for your hot pot or at-home Mongolian BBQ.
• Fish balls are one of the Filipino snacks I miss at home. Fish Balls are Filipino street food; you can eat them with friends. Often, “Manong ( an endearment title of an older man sold it on his bike and deep-fried it in front of you, and that time, sanitation was not a big issue because everybody dipped the fish balls in the same sauce container.

 

Why Make your own

• Convenience– most Asian grocery stores sell fish balls, and I am all for it. It’s just that the Asian market is four hours away from me, so I make my fishballs now. I posted Korean fish cakes a while back, and it has a similar taste and ingredients.
• Tried and tested-This easy homemade fishball recipe is my grandma’s recipe, and I remember her making them when I was little. I remember her pounding the fish meat and pan-frying it to make it palatable.

 

Equipment

●      Food Processor – The trick to great fish balls is all in the consistency of the fritter mixture. A food processor allows you to process the ingredients for this recipe to create the right consistency for perfect fish balls. You can alternatively use a stand mixer to help you reach this paste-like texture. 

 

●      Large Pot – You will use a large pot for boiling or frying the fish balls. Choose a high-sided pot to help avoid splatter, and if you’re deep-frying, consider outfitting the inside of your pot with a clip-on thermometer to help you monitor the temperature of the oil. 

Ingredients for Homemade Fish Ball 

Fish balls usually include a mixture of whitefish, shrimp, and sometimes other seafood combined with herbs, spices, and flour to make a nice batter that can be boiled or deep-fried. 

What fish to use?

You can use any fish but choose fish that’s not bony. Use also those fish that are gelatinous and have white meat. Fish balls are often white, so let’s use white meat fish. Example will

• Cod
• Tofu Fish
• Mackerel

 

Recipe Ingredients

●      Cod Fillet – Cod is a light and fresh-tasting whitefish. It has a firm texture and mild flavor, making these fish balls appealing to all palates! 

●      Shrimp – Shrimp adds a nice crustacean flavor to these bites. When available, fresh shrimp is always best, and always remember to clean and devein the shrimp before using. 

●      Squid – Squid is optional, but if fresh squid is available in your area, it can add a lot of richness and flavor to this dish. 

●      Garlic – Minced cloves of garlic add a lovely savory and sweet flavor to the batter of these fish balls. 

 

●      Onion – Chopped onion adds savory flavor to the bites. Choose a white or yellow onion for this recipe, and don’t sweat the knife cuts because it will go through the food processor. 

●      Sugar – A little white sugar adds balance to this salty snack. You can optionally swap the sugar for a sugar-free alternative as needed. 

●      Salt – A hint of salt brings out the lush fishy flavors. 

●      White Ground Pepper – White pepper has a wonderfully mild peppery flavor, but if you do not have this variety on hand, swap it out for another type of ground pepper. 

 

●      All-Purpose Flour – All-purpose flour makes the fishy components into a fritter-like batter. You can swap this ingredient for an all-purpose gluten-free flour if needed. 

●      Cornstarch – Cornstarch is a beautiful trick when making fried foods. The addition of this ingredient makes cakes and fish balls crispy and irresistible. 

●      Canola Oil – This ingredient adds a little fatty richness to the lean fish in this recipe. 

●      Egg – Egg helps find these balls together. 

 

Step-by-Step Instructions

• Clean the fish and wipe it with a paper towel to remove the excess water and slice it into it. Devein the shrimp and cut it into small pieces.
• Finely chop the onion and garlic and pulse in the onion and garlic. Add white pepper, seasoning, flour, and cornstarch to form a fish paste.

• Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until pasty.In the bowl of a large food processor, combine all the ingredients for the fish balls. Secure the lid and process until the mixture forms a thick fish paste.
  Transfer the fish ball mixture to a container and cover.
  Let the fish paste mixture sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. The chilling will ensure all ingredients stick together when forming the mixture into balls.

• Take about half a cup of the mixture and put it in your palm. Squirt out the mix in between your palm.

• You can also scoop paste in a spoon and use another spoon to form a ball.

• Boil it before freezing.

3 Ways to Homemade Fish Ball

• Hot Pot: Place cold water into a deep bowl and set it aside. Place eight cups of water in a large pot and let it boil. Scoop a tablespoon of the fish paste and, using another spoon, form it into a ball and drop it into the boiling water. Let the fish paste cook for three to five minutes. At the same time, the fish balls are cooking and remove the fish from the pot and submerge it in cold water. You can make this Fishball Soup too.

 

• Deep fry- Heat oil in a large pan and form the fish paste into a one-inch ball. Gently drop the fish balls in the hot oil and fry until golden brown on all sides.
• Pan Fry. For the fish, paste into the three-inch cylinder and for similar thickness as a hamburger. Fry the paste in.

How can I store fish balls?

• You can store fish balls in the freezer. After cooking them, please place them in a container or a zip bag and put them in the freezer. You can freeze them for up to 3 months.

Are fish balls healthy?

In this recipe, we only use natural ingredients. We also boil them, so it’s are healthy for you. Fish meat is high in omega-3, onion is suitable for your gut, and garlic is excellent for your heart, so I highly recommend this.

 

Favorite Sauce

• I will share my Homemade Fish Ball Sauce recipe; wait for that. It is the staple sauce with garlic and onion added and a thick sauce.
• Sweet and spicy chili sauce
• Soy sauce
• Vinegar and soy sauce with garlic

Expert Tips

● Chilling the fish ball batter helps to ensure that the balls hold together through the cooking process, so do not skip this step!

● Try using a spider-style filter to remove the fish balls after cooking and rest them on a paper towel-lined plate for a minute before serving. 

● Try tossing the fish balls in your favorite sauce to make them sticky and saucy.

 

● Boiling is an awesomely easy and delicious way to cook fish balls, but if you like a crispier outer texture, go with the fryer.

• Use a fillet fish; it is faster.
• If you don’t have a food processor or stand mixer, use a meat cleaver and chop the fish into fish paste.
• Let the fish paste sit in the fridge for at least thirty minutes to make the ingredients stick and quickly form them into a ball.

For more seafood recipes:

Check the seafood category here: Seafood

• Rellenong Bangus
• Shrimp with Crispy Ginger
• Steamed Tilapia
• Deep-Fried Shrimp Rolls

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