Homemade Fish Balls

Craft irresistible homemade fish balls with our step-by-step guide and easy recipe. These are bouncy, delicious, all-natural ingredients only. Take the street food vibe at home and experience how different and fresh these homemade fishballs!

Original of Fishballs

Fish balls have been a favorite street food in Asia Most people probably already know that the fish ball originated in China. However, it was in Hong Kong that they became internationally renowned. In the beginning, fish balls were simple, boiled, and white as an accompaniment to noodle soup.

Street hawkers in Hong Kong first began frying fish balls to enhance their flavor and make more sales. Since then, street hawking in Hong Kong is slowly being eradicated.  

Fish balls are a delightfully chewy and fishy snack with fans worldwide! It is a favorite Indonesian snack with fish as the main ingredient. You can normally find this street food staple in cart stalls served on bamboo skewers. In Indonesia, these fish balls are usually sold with broth added green onions, and fried onion, such as fishball soup. You can also find some fishballs on skewer it’s called bakso bakar which mean grilled meatball.

I love street food as much as I enjoy watching movies. They are tasty, inexpensive, and filling. I have been enjoying them for as long as I can remember. One of the most popular of these is fish balls. You will see them being sold on mobile food carts almost everywhere you go in Indonesia besides nasi goreng and sate

A million ways to serve Homemade Fish balls

You know when we talk about this homemade fishball, there will be a hundred possibilities you can make with this. Me, personally due to the rainy season here, I love to serve some of my stocks as fishball soup or hotpot. Moreover, you can try all of these ways to serve such as;

• 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 remove the fish from the pot and submerge it in cold water. You can make fish ball 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.
• Hong Kong curry fish ball soup, Fishball skewer, Sweet and sour fish balls, Fried fish balls, Fish ball noodle soup
• As Topping, Topping for fried rice, Topping for stir-fried dishes, even topping or condiment for Tomyum

Discover the convenience of preparing your fishball stock in advance. We’ll share tips on proper storage and freezing techniques, ensuring you always have a supply of this liquid gold ready for your next culinary masterpiece. So, staytune!

What you need to make Homemade Fish Balls

• White Fish; I use Mackerel de-boned and de-skinned a.k.a ground. Mackerel serves as the primary protein source in fishballs. It provides a distinct and flavorful base for the fishballs. It has a firm texture and mild flavor, making these fish balls appealing to all palates!  De-boning and de-skinning ensure a smooth texture and eliminate any undesirable elements, allowing the mackerel to contribute its rich flavor to the dish. for an alternative, Choose a white-fleshed fish like cod, tilapia, or haddock. Ensure it’s fresh and deboned for convenience.
• Salt; A hint of salt brings out the lush fishy flavors. Salt enhances the natural flavors of the mackerel and acts as a seasoning agent.
• Garlic; Minced cloves of garlic add a lovely savory and sweet flavor to the batter of these fish balls. 
• Ice; to make all the batter set, Keeping the mixture cold is essential as it helps maintain the integrity of the ingredients and prevents the fish mixture from becoming overly sticky
• Egg White pre-frozen; Egg helps find these balls together. It helps hold the ingredients together, providing structure and preventing the fishballs from falling apart during cooking.
• Sago 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. Actually, I prefer this sago flour because will add a bouncy texture to the fishball. Sago flour, or tapioca flour, acts as a thickening and binding agent. It helps give the fishballs a desirable chewy texture while binding the ingredients together. Sago flour is commonly used in fishball recipes to achieve the right consistency and mouthfeel.

How to Make Homemade Fish Balls

Let’s begin with preparing Pre-freeze the fish and egg white for 1 hour before making the fish balls.

Then, Using a food processor, blend fish meat with garlic, salt, and ice on a low speed, then blend until as fine as possible.

Next, start to add egg white and mix again for 2 minutes then add sago flour and mix again on high speed until well combined into a sticky and fluffy paste.

Slowly Transfer the fish balls paste to a mixing bowl and slam the paste using a hand to let the air out to make a springier fish balls. Before shaping, prepare cold water in a big bowl and water for wetting a scoop.

Tips for shaping the ball anti-sticky;

With your left hand, take a handful of fish paste, squeeze it, and press it towards your thumb and forefinger. Dip the scoop into water then take the fish ball and transfer it to cold water.

To serve, boil the fish ball until well cooked then serve it with rice noodles and garnish it with fried shallot and celery. Enjoy! Everything is done, you can serve these homemade fishballs with all the possibilities I’ve written above.

Tips to Store Homemade Fish Balls

1. To store the fish balls, cook the fish balls in warm water until the fish balls are floating then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. wait until the temperature is down, do not enter the fishball while still hot. By the way, Store fish balls in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days to maintain freshness.
2. For longer storage, freezing is an excellent option. Place the fish balls on a tray lined with parchment paper, ensuring they don’t touch each other. Freeze them for a few hours until solid to prevent sticking together. Fish balls can be stored in the freezer for up to 2-3 months without significant loss of quality.

For reheating fish balls, if it frozen, thaw fish balls in the refrigerator overnight. after the thawing process, try to reheat fish balls by boiling them in hot water for 3-5 minutes until they float to the surface. This ensures they are thoroughly cooked. Or, If in a hurry, use the microwave, but be cautious to avoid overcooking, which may result in a rubbery texture.

Avoid Refreezing: Once thawed, avoid refreezing fish balls to maintain their quality. Hope it helps!

You need to try other meatball variations here;

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