These Spicy Fish Balls are so delicious and so quick and easy to make. I guess that’s true of most of the type of dishes I like to make. Maximum flavour, texture and colour, for very little effort.
What are Spicy Fish Balls you might ask? Well basically they’re bite sized fish cakes, or if you like, the fish version of meatballs. And while you are most welcome to make these into fish cakes. In fact the recipe is almost identical to my Asian Style Fishcakes recipe. I like these small versions particularly to add to salads, lunch boxes or as a scrumptious appetizer dish.
You can use any white fish of your choice. I usually use Cape Bream, Carpenter or Basa, since I don’t like hake much. These Spicy Fish Balls are made with rice, so feel free to use leftover rice, which I often keep in the freezer for recipes such as this. Or to speed up the process, I love keeping a couple of pouches of par cooked basmati or jasmine rice in my pantry cupboard. Jasmine rice is my preferred option since the sticky quality helps to bind the mixture without the need for an egg. But feel free to use Basmati or other long grain rice. If you’re mixture doesn’t stick together when you create balls you can always to mix in a little egg to assist.
And finally, please feel free to adjust the heat/spice level to your liking as well.
Spicy Fish Balls
Ingredients
- 200 grams White Fish (e.g. Hake, Carpenter, Basa, Cape Bream, Yellowtail)
- 200 grams Cooked/Steamed Jasmine Rice Or similar
- 3 Spring onions / salad onions
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Chives
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Parsley or Coriander
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Chili
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- 1 tsp Dried mixed herbs Plus another teaspoon for the breadcrumbs
- 1 Egg* Only needed if not using a sticky rice such as jasmine
- 50 grams Breadcrumbs
- ½ tsp Chili powder
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Vegetable Oil for cooking
Instructions
- Remove the skin from the fish if it has, then rough chop the fish, spring onions, chives, parsley and chilli
- Add the chopped ingredients to the rice, season well with the dried herbs and spices, salt and pepper, then add the lemon zest
- Place the ingredients in a food processor and pulls a few times to combine
- Take a spoonful of mixture and form into a ball. If not using a sticky rice and/or if the mixture does not hold together, add the egg a little at a time, mix and check until the ball shapes hold together
- Add more of the mixed dried herbs and the chilli powder to the crumbs and season with salt and pepper if you wish. Mix through
- Form the fishcake mixture into balls. Gently drop the balls into the crumbs and cover well
- Once all the balls are crumbed, lightly cover and place in the fridge to chill for around an hour
- Note: They can be cooked immediately if needed. They can also be frozen at this stage. Defrost completely before cooking if frozen
- Cover the bottom of a large pan with vegetable oil and bring to medium high heat
- You can test the oil by dropping a crumb into it. It the crumb becomes surrounded by bubbles and floats to the top immediately the oil is ready. Ensure the the oil is not too hot or the outside will be brown before the inside is cooked
- Cook the balls on medium for 3 – 4 minutes a side, until evenly golden. Cook in multiple batches to avoid overcrowding (around 5 or 6 at a time depending on the size of your pan
- Note: These can be cooked in an airfryer or the oven as well
- Once cooked, place on a paper towel to drain off any excess oil
- Serve warm with some sweet chilli sauce, a sprinkling of sesame seeds and a slaw or salad on the side
Leave a Reply