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Learn how to make fish balls and a delicious fish ball soup with this easy, step-by-step recipe. With detailed instructions and a video guide, you’ll make perfectly bouncy fish balls every time. Whether you’re craving a comforting bowl of fish ball soup or looking for a versatile ingredient for other dishes, this recipe has you covered!
Simple Fish Ball Recipe
If you’ve ever wanted to make homemade fish balls from scratch, this recipe is for you! I know it can seem like a bit of work, but trust me, it’s totally worth it. There’s something so satisfying about making your own fish balls, and the key to perfect ones is fresh, high-quality fish that gives you that bouncy, flavorful texture without the fishy taste.
Once you’ve got the right fish, this simple, step-by-step process will guide you to bouncy, delicious fish balls. I’ve included pictures in the gallery to make everything even easier, and I’ve also got a video guide to walk you through the process—just in case you need that extra visual help!
Once your fish balls are ready, the possibilities are endless. You can enjoy them in a comforting fish ball soup, whip up some Thai Fish Cake, or even throw them into a Chinese Hot Pot. Trust me, these homemade fish balls will make your dishes so much better! And don’t forget to check out my Chinese Hot Pot recipe for a tasty way to use them!
How To Choose The Best Fish
Living in Southern California, right by the Pacific coast, you’d think fresh fish would be easy to find. But, unfortunately, that’s not the case. Most of the fish available here is frozen, and many don’t look fresh at all—red eyes, oozing blood, and that overly fishy smell. It can be hard to find good fish unless you’re at a Chinese restaurant, where they serve live fish from tanks. Otherwise, I usually eat Steamed Fish at Chinese restaurants, those alive ones and swimming in the tank. Occasionally, I do come across decent salmon or deep-sea fish, but they’re not the type I typically use for making fish balls.
To make the best fish balls, fresh fish is essential. You want fish that gives you that bouncy texture without the fishy taste. After some trial and error, I found a great mackerel (马鲛鱼) that works perfectly for making fish balls. I’m not a fish expert, but I always ask my local fishmonger for recommendations. Fish like mackerel (马鲛鱼), 西刀鱼 (this one might go by different names, but it’s commonly known as Spanish mackerel or seer fish), and eel (鳗鱼) are great options for making fish balls.
Keep in mind that the best fish for making fish balls may not always be easy to find in Western countries, so don’t be afraid to ask around or visit different markets. It might take some searching, but once you find the right fish, you’ll be well on your way to making amazing fish balls from scratch!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Fish Balls
- Whole mackerel
- Ground white pepper
- Salt
Fish Ball Soup
- Fish bone
- Chicken broth
- Chinese seaweed
- Soy sauce
- Water
- Sesame oil
- Salt
- White pepper
Toppings
- Scallion
- Garlic oil – You can make the garlic oil by stir-frying some minced garlic with heated oil.
- Lettuce
For all the details on each ingredient, be sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
How To Make Fish Balls
Alright, first things first—grab your fish and give it a good rinse with cold water. Pat it dry with a paper towel to get rid of any excess moisture. Now, take a sharp knife and start filleting the fish. Work along the bones, starting from the tail and moving up toward the head. Do the same thing on the other side.
Next, grab a bowl to put the fish meat in. Take a spoon and gently scrape the fish meat off the skin of the fillet, starting from the tail and working your way up. Scrape until you’ve got all the meat off the skin, then just toss the skin aside. Don’t forget to scrape the fish meat off the bones too—use your spoon to get every bit of it!
Alright, now take all that fish meat and put it on a chopping board. If you’ve got a Chinese cleaver, that’s your best friend here! Start chopping the fish meat—just go at it for about 10 minutes. You want to break it down really well, so don’t rush it. It’ll help get that perfect texture for the fish balls!
As you chop, you’ll notice the fish starting to get a bit sticky, and that’s totally normal! Once that happens, sprinkle in some salt and pepper, then keep chopping for another 10 minutes. The more you chop, the smoother and stickier the fish will get, and soon enough, it’ll turn into a nice fish paste.
Now, wet your hands with a little water to keep the paste from sticking. Take about a tablespoon of the fish paste and roll it between your palms to shape it into a ball. Just keep going like that until you’ve got a nice little batch of fish balls ready to cook!
How To Make Fish Ball Soup
Grab a 5-quart soup pot and toss in the chicken broth, water, and fish bones. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to medium and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. You want the soup to get nice and flavorful, so just let it do its thing!
Once the 20 minutes is up, take out the fish bones. Turn the heat back up to high, and gently drop the fish balls into the soup.
Now, toss in the Chinese seaweed, a splash of soy sauce, a little sesame oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. When the fish balls float to the top, you know it’s time to turn off the heat.
Now, ladle the soup into your bowls, add the toppings (scallions, garlic oil, and a bit of lettuce), and you’re all set! Serve it up hot and enjoy right away. It’s comfort in a bowl!
Secrets To Perfect Fish Balls And Soup
- I’ve got to say, while a food processor can definitely speed things up, I recommend using a cleaver to chop the fish by hand. It gives your fish balls a much better texture. You want the fish finely chopped, but with some texture to it—not a smooth paste. This way, your fish balls will stay nice and bouncy when you cook them.
- Don’t rush the chopping! It might feel like a lot of work, but the more you chop, the better the texture will be. Aim for about 10 minutes of chopping and take your time with it. This step is key to getting that perfect bounce.
- Fish balls cook super fast, so add them to the soup just before it starts boiling. When they float to the top, that’s your cue to turn off the heat. Don’t overcook them, or they’ll get tough—keep an eye on them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use a food processor to chop the fish, but I recommend using a cleaver for the best texture. Chopping by hand gives the fish a coarser, bouncy texture perfect for fish balls. If you use a food processor, don’t over-process it. You want finely chopped fish with some texture, not a smooth paste!
Yes. Just store them in the fridge for a few hours or freeze them for later. When you’re ready to serve, just cook them fresh, and they’ll taste just as good!
Chicken broth works great for the base, but if you want a more intense fish flavor, feel free to use vegetable broth or fish stock instead.
Yes. Feel free to toss in some veggies like bok choy, napa cabbage, or mushrooms for extra flavor and texture. Just add them in during the last few minutes of cooking, and you’re good to go!
Just store the soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. When you’re ready to enjoy, reheat it gently on the stovetop. Just be careful not to overcook the fish balls—they can get a little tough if you heat them too long.
This recipe is only 211 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Fish Ball Soup
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Other Recipes You Might Like
How to Make Fish Balls
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 stalk scallion, cut into rings
Instructions
Fish Ball:
- 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.
- 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.
- Place all the fish meat on a chopping board, using a Chinese cleaver (preferably) to chop the fish meat, for about 10 minutes.
- 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- Remove the fish bones, turn to high heat and drop the fish balls into the Soup.
- 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.
- Transfer the fish balls soup into serving bowls, add the Toppings and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- I’ve got to say, while a food processor can definitely speed things up, I recommend using a cleaver to chop the fish by hand. It gives your fish balls a much better texture. You want the fish finely chopped, but with some texture to it—not a smooth paste. This way, your fish balls will stay nice and bouncy when you cook them.
- Don’t rush the chopping! It might feel like a lot of work, but the more you chop, the better the texture will be. Aim for about 10 minutes of chopping and take your time with it. This step is key to getting that perfect bounce.
- Fish balls cook super fast, so add them to the soup just before it starts boiling. When they float to the top, that’s your cue to turn off the heat. Don’t overcook them, or they’ll get tough—keep an eye on them.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Mackerel is not a correct fish to do fishball. Your fishball look like a round keropok lekor.
Mackerel fish is the RIGHT fish to make fish balls, the problem is I couldn’t get fresh mackerel in the US, they are all frozen.
So no flour is needed for the fish ball, I wish to receive more recipes in my inbox, thank you?
Very good receipe
I have been making Fish Balls for years! My recipe is very simple and may not be the tradition Asian Fish Balls.. I use my Food Processor and pulse a small onion, egg, lime or lemon with raw fish.. I shape this into small balls. I like to dip them into an egg wash, and cornflakes.. the sweetness of cornflakes works well. they can be fried in butter or baked.. serve with an Asian sweet sauce. For St Paddy’s, I pulsed cilantro with the mixture! Voila, green fish balls! LOL
Interesting recipe, will have to try!
Yes I will try.
Can i add some onions and garlic if i will do the fishball? By the way im using Tenggeri
Not onions but garlic is ok.
In hong kong, they use Dace (chinese mud carp). You can fish for Dace in UK rivers but i’ve never seen it on the fishmonger counter.
I’ve used mackerel – it was a strong taste but springy if you slam it on the bench a few 10s of times.
I wish it was easier to find the right fish.
I use a yellowtail snapper. It’s naturally bouncy.
Would like to see more Asian recipes
Hi.
TQ for the recipe. I tried with King Fish (ikan tenggiri). Much easier as less bones.
Most of my friends use food processor for the mixing of the fish into paste.. And it produced more bouncy fish ball..not to mentioned much less time to process..
For storing, I fried the fish balls and after they cool down, I kept them freeze. These can last months.
Love your site. Thanks again.