Basic Fishballs

Photo: flickr user I Love Egg

Ingredients

See instructions for additional ingredients also see "Fishball Mixture" recipes

Preparation

Fishballs can be used in a variety of ways: they can be deep-fried and served with a sweet-and-pungent sauce, combined with stir-fried vegetables, or added to soups and red-cooked dishes.

Preparing the fish: Use either fish fillets or whole fish. With the latter, have the fish split in half and the head and big bones removed.

Then, with a spoon or blunt knife, scrape the flesh from the skin. Always work from tail to head. (If you work the other way, the fine bones will come loose and be difficult to separate out.)

Making the fish mixture: Follow any of the four recipes "Fishball Mixture A", B, C or D.

Forming the fishballs: If the fish mixture is moist, take a fistful and squeeze it through a hole made by joining thumb and index finger, to form walnut-size balls. Or, if the mixture is of a drier consistency, shape the fishballs between the palms of the hands. (Moisten the hands first.)

Cooking the fishballs: Bring 4 to 5 cups of water almost to a boil. Add fishballs and cook over medium heat until done (3 to 5 minutes). The fish liquid may be enriched with 4 beaten egg yolks and 1 teaspoon salt, stirred in at the end of cooking, and then served with the fish. Or a fish stock may be substituted and the fishballs cooked in it. To prepare stock, simmer the fish head and bones in 4 to 5 cups of water for an hour. Then stir in 1 tablespoon vinegar, a few drops of sherry, and either 1 tablespoon lard or a few drops of sesame oil.

Storing fishballs: Fisbballs cannot be stored raw, but must be parboiled first. Plunge fishballs, a few at a time, into boiling water and cook until they float. Drain and let cool. Place in a large bowl of cold water, cover, and refrigerate. The fishballs will keep several days.

NOTE: Two pounds of fish fillets make about 20 fishballs.