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4.6 from 72 votes

How to Make Fish Balls

Discover how to make fish balls and a flavorful fish ball soup. This step-by-step recipe with pictures shows you how to make bouncy, delicious fish balls at home. Enjoy an easy recipe for making perfect fish balls and a comforting soup.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 199 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients

  • 1 whole mackerel with bones and head about 2 1/2 lbs. (1.2 kg)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
Fish Ball Soup:
  • fish bones discard the fish head, chopped into 3 pieces
  • 1 can chicken broth
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 oz (30g) Chinese seaweed 紫菜
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • white pepper and salt to taste
Fish Ball Soup Topping:
  • garlic oil
  • some shredded lettuce leaves
  • 1 talk scallion cut into rings

Instructions

Fish Ball:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Clean the fish and rinse with cold water, pat dry with paper towels. Filet the fish along the bones from the tail up towards the head using a very sharp knife. Repeat on the other side.
  2. Get a bowl to put the fish meat. Using a spoon, scrape the fish meat off the skin of the fish filet, from the tail upwards. Scrape until all meat is off the skin. Discard the skin. Use the spoon to scrape off the fish meat off the fish bone, too.
  3. Place all the fish meat on a chopping board, using a Chinese cleaver (preferably) to chop the fish meat, for about 10 minutes.
  4. The fish will become slightly sticky as you chop. Add the salt and pepper and continue chopping for another 10 minutes, the fish meat will become a fish paste.
  5. Wet your hands with some water and take a tablespoon of the fish paste onto your palm and shape them into fish balls.
Fish Ball Soup:
  1. Get a 5-quart soup pot, put in the chicken broth, water, and fish bones. Bring to boil over high heat, and then let it boil on low to medium heat for about 20 minutes or until the soup is flavorful.
  2. Remove the fish bones, turn to high heat and drop the fish balls into the Soup.
  3. Add the Chinese seaweed, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper to taste. When the fish balls float to the top, turn off the heat.
  4. Transfer the fish balls soup into serving bowls, add the Toppings and serve immediately.

Notes

  • You can make the garlic oil by stir-frying some minced garlic with heated oil.
  • If you like, serve it with red chilies in soy sauce.

Nutrition Information

Serving 4people Calories 199kcal (10%) Carbohydrates 2g (1%) Protein 24g (48%) Fat 10g (15%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Cholesterol 53mg (18%) Sodium 1815mg (76%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 1g (2%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 199

% Daily Value*

Serving 4people
Calories 199kcal 10%
Carbohydrates 2g 1%
Protein 24g 48%
Fat 10g 15%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 53mg 18%
Sodium 1815mg 76%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 1g 2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.