Homemade Fish Balls

Method8 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Finely mince the 8 oz tilapia fillets, then flatten and pound with the blunt side of a knife 1–2 times to make a tender paste. A food processor may be used instead.

   Uses 8 oz tilapia fish fillets, minced to paste

   
2. 2

   Step 2: Cut, mince, flatten shrimp (2 oz): Just like our fish, we'll finely mince our shrimp.; Beat it down with the blunt edge of our knife to flatten it. Repeat this 1-2 more times to tenderize the shrimp. We want this to be as tender and paste-like as possible.; As with the fish, the actual amount and type of shrimp are up to you! You can also just make this with shrimp, or skip the shrimp entirely.

   Uses 2 oz shrimp, peeled, deveined and minced to paste

   
3. 3

   Step 3: Mix fish & shrimp: With the blunt side of our knife, spatula, paddle, etc, we'll mix the tilapia and shrimp together, and flatten it. Make sure to do this thoroughly.

   Uses Tilapia paste · Shrimp paste

   
4. 4

   Step 4: Finely chop the source’s 4 pieces cilantro and 4 pieces green onion. Soak the dried mandarin peel in water until soft, drain and finely mince about a 1-square-inch piece. Finely mince 3–4 slices ginger.

   Uses 4 pieces cilantro, finely chopped · 4 pieces green onion, finely chopped · 3–4 slices ginger, finely minced · About 1 square inch dried mandarin orange peel, rehydrated and minced · Water for rehydrating the dried mandarin peel, as needed

   
5. 5

   Step 5: Mix 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp white pepper, 1 tsp chicken bouillon, 1 egg, 3 tbsp cornstarch and the separate 5 tbsp paste water in a bowl.

   Uses 1/2 tsp white pepper · 1 tsp chicken bouillon · 1 tsp salt · 1 tsp sugar · 3 tbsp cornstarch · 1 egg · 5 tbsp water for paste

   
6. 6

   Step 6: Add the combined fish-and-shrimp paste and all the chopped cilantro, green onion, ginger and mandarin peel to the seasoning mixture. Mix thoroughly 2–3 minutes. Add 1 tsp sesame oil and 1 tsp olive oil and mix another 30–60 seconds.

   Uses Combined fish-and-shrimp paste · Chopped greens, ginger and rehydrated peel · Prepared seasoning and egg mixture · 1 tsp sesame oil for paste · 1 tsp olive oil for paste

   
7. 7

   Step 7: Slam the fish paste: This is a traditional technique - we'll take clumps of fish paste and slam it down on the bowl.; This helps increase the pliability of the fish paste.

   Uses Seasoned combined fish paste

   
8. 8

   Step 8: Cover and refrigerate the finished paste for at least 30 minutes. Then choose one cooking route. Hot pot or poaching: spoon small balls of paste into simmering water or prepared hot-pot broth, checking from about 1 minute and continuing until cooked through. Deep-fry: form small balls and fry in enough high-smoke-point oil at 175°C (350°F), checking from about 1 minute and continuing until cooked through and golden. Pan-fry: flatten into small patties and fry in a little cooking oil for about 2–3 minutes per side, continuing as needed. For every route, ensure the egg-containing fish-and-shrimp mixture is opaque and reaches 71°C in the centre before serving; shape and size affect time. Use only the liquid or frying oil for your chosen route.

   Chill fish paste at least 30 minutes before selected cook route · 30 minUses Pounded fish paste to chill and cook · Poaching water/broth only for selected hot-pot route · Frying oil only for selected deep-/pan-fry route