Fish ball

Preparation of Value Added Fish Product: Fish Ball

Introduction:

Fish balls are a common food in southern China and overseas Chinese communities made from "fish paste". They are also common in Scandinavia, where they are usually made from cod or haddock. Traditional fish paste is made with minimal ingredients.

Fig: Fish Ball

Traditional Chinese Fish Ball Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 whole Spanish mackerels, about 1 pound each **I have seen others use different fish, you can try this with any white fish. If you really don’t want to use a whole fish you could try this with just fillets as well. You can also cut this recipe in half if you want to try with just one small fish.

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper (or to taste)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Water

Procedure:

1. At first clean the fish properly with clean water. De-scale the fish. Make a slit along the belly from the fish’s rectum up to where the head begins. Remove all the innards and discard. Rinse the fish in cold water, dry and place on cutting board.

2. Remove fish head(s). Simply chop the heads off. Discard, or save if you want to use them to make broth.

3. Filet the fish. Slice the meat off the fish along the bones from the tail forwards towards the head using a sharp knife. Repeat on the other side as well.

4. Using a spoon, scrape the flesh from the skin of the filets as well as off of the remaining fish bones. We should be careful of small bones. Because the consumer doesn’t want any small bone in the fish ball.

5. Place all the flesh on a cutting board and season with salt and white pepper. Here 3/4 of the teaspoon of salt and about 1/2 teaspoon white pepper is used.

6. Add the approx. 1/4 teaspoon salt that have left to about 1/3 cup of water and set aside for later use.

7. Using the back of a big chopping knife, begin chopping/breaking up the fish. Keep an eye out for any bones to remove.

8. The fish will develop a slightly sticky consistency which continue to chop. Add the salted water bit by bit while chopping. This will make it easier and less sticky.

9. Now for the most important part. When fish is evenly chopped, with no big chunks, the ball of fish paste and begin the throwing/slamming process. Repeatedly pound the fish paste onto the cutting board. This is the key to making “springy” or “bouncy” fish balls.

10. After pounding the paste, add a little water to your 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a small bowl, just enough that it liquifies. Add this to the fish paste and knead until combined well.

11. Fish paste should be smooth and soft. When it is finished, wet the hands and apply a little bit of water to the surface of your fish paste ball and notice it becomes smooth and shiny.

12. Then we can test out the paste by dropping a spoonful into boiling water. When it floats, it’s cooked! Have a taste. we can add more seasoning, chop or pound more as needed.

13. To make fish balls, take the paste in the hands and shape into balls. They are usually about a tablespoon of fish paste each.

14. Storage: We can separate your fish paste however we like, and keep in the freezer. If we want to freeze it in fish ball form, lining a baking tray with parchment paper, place the fish balls in a single layer on the parchment, cover with foil to avoid having your freezer smell like fish and then allow them to freeze in a few hours or overnight. We can then take the fish balls off the tray and keep them frozen in a container or bag.

Conclusion:

Fish is a rich source of easily digestible protein that also provides polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals for human nutrition. Nonetheless, a large proportion of total landed fish remains unused due to inherent problems related to unattractive color, flavor, texture, small size, and high fat content. Although some species are used industrially for fish meal manufacture, a need for their conservation and utilization for human consumption has been recognized in order to prevent post-harvest fishery losses. Recovery of flesh by mechanical deboning and development of value-added products are probably the most promising approaches.

References:

http://honest-food.net/fish-and-seafood-recipes/easy-fish-recipes/deep-fried-asian-fish-balls

http://thishungrykitten.com/2013/11/14/homemade-chinese-fish-balls-the-way-they-should-be-made

http://www.mummyicancook.com/2012/09/how-to-make-bouncy-100-fishballs.html

http://food-4tots.com/2008/10/29/how-to-make-smooth-springy-fish-paste

www.worldfish.org/PPA/PDFs/Semi-Annual%20VI/D-4%20Report.

Www.norden.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:707165/FULLTEXT01