How to Make Fish Balls

4.55 from 24 votes

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!

Prep Time30

Cook Time10

Total Time40

Course: Fish

Cuisine: Chinese Recipes

Keyword: How to Make Fish Balls

Servings: people

Author: Bee Yinn Low

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