Fish meatballs can be not only a simple and everyday dish, but also decorate a festive table, “warm up” the appetite of little capricious, who often do not like fish cuisine, but fish are very necessary for the growing organism.
Therefore, show imagination to please the most beloved people.
Fish meatballs - basic technological principles
Whatever dish of minced fish or minced meat was planned for breakfast, lunch or dinner, the work begins with the preparation of fish semi-finished products.
For fish meatballs, you must prepare the fillet, which is used for making minced meat. Therefore, any fish for stuffing need to prepare: wash, clean, separate from the bones or cartilage, remove the skin. It's clear. Further processing includes nuances that must be considered in order to achieve the desired result.
It is no secret that river fish has an unpleasant smell of mud, but if it is removed, the freshwater inhabitants are very tasty. They have less iodine than marine fish, but phosphorus is available, and it is also useful and necessary in the diet. Therefore, river fish, preferably still alive, should be dipped in an acidic solution: for this, add ordinary table vinegar to cold water to achieve a concentration of 10-12%. If the fish falls asleep in this solution, then it will have time to let the acidified water pass through the gills, and the smell of silt will disappear very quickly. If the fish has already fallen asleep, then keep it in the solution for at least two hours. Inanimate fish is better to gut before soaking, and do not forget to remove the gills. Of course, the exposure time depends on the size. Focus on your organoleptic sensations.
After eliminating the unpleasant odor, proceed to cutting carcasses, in a businesslike manner. Use heads, tails and skeleton for cooking fish soup and fish soups. For the meat will only need the pulp. Remove large bones from the fillet. Do not be afraid of small bones, if the filet is crushed with a blender or twice passed through the fine grinder of the meat grinder. Ideal for minced sea fish, because, as a rule, it does not have small bones. If you do not want to bother with cutting fish, buy ready-made fillets or mince, but do not exclude fish dishes from the diet. Remember its benefits for people of any age. When the most difficult and unpleasant stage of preliminary preparation of raw fish is completed, proceed to the creation of taste and aroma. This will help spicy herbs, roots, spices, and it all depends on the taste of the chef. The taste of fish can be hidden so that it will be difficult to distinguish it from the taste of a chicken. Neutral additives are suitable for any dishes - dill, parsley and cilantro, coriander, bay leaf, cardamom, lemon juice, dry white wine, vinegar. Muscat perfectly interrupts the smell of fish, and in combination with butter when frying fish or meatballs gives a light nutty flavor. Light juniper aroma greatly enhances the taste of red fish. Brighter spices are cloves and cinnamon. They are used in exotic tropical fruit sauces. Actually, the choice of spicy ingredients depends on the additions to minced fish and the creative concept of the author of the recipe.
1. Pacific hake fish meatballs in the oven
Ingredients:
Hake (fillet) 650 g
White bread 200 g
Milk 100 ml
Egg, dietary 1 pc.
Onions, green 150 g
Muscat
Pepper, white
Breading flour
Vegetable fat
Cooking Technology:
Chop the fillet with a knife in the form of cubes. Combine with egg and bread, soaked in milk. Add spices and chopped onions. Form balls weighing 50 g each and, rolling them in flour, place on a baking sheet greased with butter. Bake for eight minutes.
2. Fish Meatballs in Sauce - Cod Liver with Onions and Curd in Sour Cream
Products:
Cod liver 400 g
Sea fish fillet 500 g
Flour, wheat 90 g
Cottage cheese (18%) 250 g
Cream (20%) 450 ml
Boiled potatoes 900 g
Parsley dill
Salt
Onion, 300 g
Vegetable oil 75 g
Lemon pepper
Cooking:
Crush cod liver, fish fillet and onions, twice passing the components through a fine grinder. Add the spices, flour and mix the cutlet mass thoroughly. Form small balls.
On a pan with a high side, greased with fat, put the slices of boiled potatoes, put the meatballs on top. Sprinkle the contents with salt and pepper, cover with cream, sprinkle with chopped greens. Cover the dish with a sheet of foil and place in a hot oven for ten minutes.
3. Red fish fishballs in cheese breading with potato “cigars” (banquet dish)
Meatballs are traditionally considered to be an ordinary everyday dish, but they may well decorate a festive table if you add a few refined culinary touches.
Meatball Products:
Trout (fillet) 1.2 kg
Lemon 1/2 pc.
Salt
Egg 1 1/2 pcs.
White pepper
Grated cheese 250 g
Dill 100 g
Butter 140 g
Flour 80 g
Breadcrumbs, white 400 g
Lyezon (a mixture of eggs with water or cream 1: 1)
Deep-frying (vegetable oil, peas, nutmeg)
For potato cigars:
Potatoes 2.4 kg (net)
Eggs 2 pcs.
Flour 160 g
Cream 350 ml
Salt
Flour 300 g
Cooking Technology:
Chop the flesh with a knife, add butter, boiled with egg, spices, half lemon juice and flour. Stir the mass, repel and allow to cool slightly. Roll balls of 60 g. Combine cheese and breadcrumbs. Prepare an ice cream from an equal number of eggs and water. Separate half of the liquid for breading potato sticks. Fish balls dip in ice cream, breaded in a mixture of crackers and grated cheese. Fry in deep fat and place on the grill to remove excess fat.
Cook mashed boiled hot potatoes. Add cream, eggs and flour (200 g) to it. Mix the potato mass thoroughly. When the mashed potatoes have cooled down a bit, form potato sticks, roll them first in flour, then in lemon and bread crumbs. Transfer the food to the dish, transfer to the refrigerator for half an hour. After fry the "cigar" in deep fat and put it on a napkin. Put meatballs and “cigars” on a dish, decorate with finely chopped greens, peas, slices of tomatoes and cucumbers.
The second option for fish meatballs is french fries. Cut large peeled potatoes into long strips and deep-fry.
4. Fishballs in sauce - minced mackerel flambe with asparagus
Products:
Frozen Mackerel 1.3 kg
Pepper
Ground coriander
Sugar
Ground Clove
Salt
Potato flour 120 g
Gin (or juniper tincture) 100 ml Asparagus blanched 0.5 kg
Oil, butter and vegetable for frying
Sesame 50 g
Cherry (yellow and red) 300 g
Mint
Cilantro
Preparation:
Starting cooking flambé, make sure that all flammable objects are at a safe distance from the pan, which is supposed to set fire to alcohol. Prepare a metal stand for the pan. Finally, pick up a beautiful frying pan, with a removable handle, to make the dish look aesthetically pleasing, since you will have to serve it in a frying pan.
Blanch small tomatoes. You can choose the usual “cream”, but the tomatoes should be small, with dense pulp. Remove the skin, sprinkle them lightly with salt and sugar, ground coriander and cloves.
Prepare the asparagus: wash, remove the coarse pieces, blanch to half the readiness in sweetened and salted water. Optionally, you can add lemon juice.
Separate the fillets from whole carcasses of mackerel, wash, chop. Add spices and potato flour. Form meatballs and fry in vegetable oil on both sides.
Fold meatballs, asparagus and tomatoes into a common frying pan, add oil, sprinkle with sesame, finely chopped herbs, warm in a frying pan, adding a little butter. Pour gin into a hot dish and set fire to fishballs with asparagus. For flaming, gin must be warmed to room temperature. Use a long match, or pre-cooked wooden skewer.
Flambication gives the dish a special flavor: after the alcohol burns out, the flavor of the drink that was added to it remains in the dish. Gin fits perfectly with fish. If it is not in the kitchen, then add juniper tincture. If there is no tincture either, then when frying the meatballs, put some juniper berries in the pan, and use vodka for burning.
Spicy tomato or mint-lemon cream sauce is also suitable for this dish. Serve the sauces separately.
5. Children's fish meatballs “Sun” steam
Products for 2 servings:
Minced fish 100 g
Green onion 40g
Lemon juice 20 ml
Salt 5 g Butter 30g
Boiled rice 80 g
Eggs, dietary 2 pcs.
Pasta (or “spiral”) 75 g
Cooking:
Blend mince, onion and rice in a blender. Add a little salt to the mixture and add lemon juice to drown out the smell of fish: children often do not like fish dishes because of the specific smell. You can use onions of another variety, less sharp, but it is also necessary to create a delicious flavor; it must also be very well ground, so that the child does not notice the unloved, but very useful vegetable. Stir the mass and keep in the refrigerator. Form the balls, and then give them a flat shape when the stuffing will harden well. Cooked meatballs on a pair.
Prepare a baking sheet and preheat the oven. Place metal round grooves for cookies on a baking sheet. Place the meatballs in the center of each shape. Beat eggs and rub them with butter. With egg mass, pour the meatballs in the forms and put in the oven. Bake until egg mass thickens. Put it on a plate
Boil the pasta or "spiral", put them around the meatballs, imitating the rays of the sun.
6. Fishballs in tomato sauce with rice and vegetables
Ingredients (3 servings):
450 g blanched broccoli
Red carrot 250 g
Onions 150g
Fish meatballs (prepared foods, according to recipe number 1) - 3 pcs. per serving
Chile ketchup 250g
Vegetable fat 120 g
Garlic 40g
Boiled potatoes 600 g
Chopped cilantro and parsley 100 g
Flour for passaging 60 g
Preparation:
Paste the chopped carrots and onions until soft, add the flour, roasted to cream color. In a skillet, fry broccoli inflorescences, with a little oil, add steamed vegetables, tomato sauce, stew the stew for no more than five minutes on minimal heat.
Fry fish semi-finished products. Put them in a deep saucepan, cover with cooked sauce, add vegetables to the meatballs. Simmer everything together for another five minutes under the lid. Turn off the fire, put minced garlic and greens in the dish, taste it and add the necessary spices.
Prepare boiled potatoes for garnish.
Fishballs - useful tips for cooking fish dishes
- If you are making meatballs from frozen fish fillets or minced meat, then do not thaw the semi-finished product to the end. He remembers that a fish is a perishable product, and at room temperature it is very quickly “attacked” by harmful microorganisms. In order for the fish dish to always be fresh and healthy, the semi-finished product must have a temperature not higher than 3-4 ° C. Do not leave raw semi-finished fish on the table. They must be cooked immediately or stored in a refrigerator. Do not re-freeze thawed minced fish.
- To make the meatballs juicy, fry them in a hot pan. The resulting crust will prevent leakage of juice from the inside.
- Fish has varying degrees of fat. For mincemeat try to choose fatter varieties, but if you have to cook from what is available, add fatty cream or butter to lean fish. Dairy products generally give fish dishes a very pleasant taste and smell, making them juicy and tender.
- To bind minced meat, beat it before forming meatballs. No more than 25% of flour, white bread, crackers are added to minced fish so that it is viscous and the meatballs do not fall apart. Eggs or dried egg powder are used for the same purpose.
- Onions in minced fish not only give the taste to semi-finished products, but also increase their juiciness. Amount of onions, depending on the fat content and moisture of minced meat.
