After posting a pic of this finished spicy fish balls on Facebook, someone commented “must be a male fish!”. Rude talk aside, I thought it was funny. I don’t recall if it was in Guyana or in Barbados I first had something similar, but I do recall how tasty they were, so I knew back then I’d have to come up with a recipe sooner or later. In keeping with this month’s theme of party food with a Caribbean twist for the holiday season.. I give you the most delicious fish balls you’ll ever try. With the use of panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese, you’ll see how international this recipe really is.
WARNING! The diced scotch bonnet will give this a wicked kick, so feel free to cut back on it or leave it out if you’re overly concerned about the heat (chicken).
You’ll Need…
1 lb fresh cod fillets
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
2 eggs
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs (any bread crumbs should work)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (diced finely)
2-3 cups veg oil for frying
1/2 cup flour for dusting
Wash and pat the fish dry with some paper towels. If you’re using frozen (pre packaged) cod, give it a good squeeze as there’s usually a lot of water in it. Then cut into chunks and place into a food processor. The entire recipe will be done in the food processor, but if you don’t have one, don’t fret. Simply chop the cod fish very fine and mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.
Give the fish a few pulses in the food processor and remember to scrape down the side so you get an even consistency. Then add all the other ingredients except the flour and the veg oil for frying.
Please remember to chop the herbs very fine and crush the garlic. The scotch bonnet pepper should also be very fine and do remember to wear gloves when handling them. Additionally, wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handing.
Pulse for a minute or two (remember to stop to scrape down), until you have a well mixed consistency.
Now it’s time to shape this into the small balls for frying. Take about a teaspoon full amount and roll in your hands to form the ball. Then toss in the flour (all purpose flour) to evenly coat the outside. This will help you get that lovely golden brown colour when fried. Be sure to do them all before you start to fry, as they will cook very fast. You can place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet so they don’t stick as they await their turn in the hot oil
Heat your oil on a medium/high heat and fry these for 3-4 minutes. I love using my wok for this as it maintains an even heat and with the high sides, I don’t make a mess on the stove. Drain on paper towels and serve with one of the many sauces I’ve shared over the past few years. Check the recipe index for the tamarind sauce, there’s the honey mustard mango sauce, the shado beni sauce and about 8 other spicy sauces there.
These fish balls are excellent on their own if you don’t feel like making a dipping sauce and if all fails, just get some ranch salad dressing from the grocery store and you’re good to go. These are best served warm in case you’re wondering.
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Greetings, Chris! In Bermuda we make these with pre-soaked salted cod and we add potatoes to the mixture. We eat them traditionally on Good Friday along with hot cross buns. Yummmmm…..
Hi, can I make these before hand and refrigerate?
Hi Chris,
Thanks very much for this great recipe. I have one question. Can I also use dry salted codfish or must I use only the fresh cod fillets? I quess that if I put it to soak overnight and cook it for about 15 min I would be able to use is. Am I correct about this?
I hope to receive a reply real soon, as I want to make this recipe.
With kind regards,
Michelle
I have made these in the past myself and used salt codfish after soaking and boiling. I didn’t do the blender thing, I mashed them up, but I’m gonna do that next time
Greetings! In Bermuda we make these with pre-soaked salted cod and we add potatoes to the mixture. We eat them traditionally on Good Friday along with hot cross buns. Yummmmm…..
I just turned out my best batch yet. I didn’t have a hot chili, so I substituted cayenne and about half of an orange bell pepper. I also substituted fresh cilantro instead of parsley, and I gratuitously added cumin and smoked paprika. Awesome!
You have made a fish ball frier out of me. Thanks so much for this. I want to offer the feedback though that you might want to prepare people for a wide variability the cooking time they’re liable to experience, particularly since I didn’t notice you specifying what size to make the balls. Mine take forever (15′? maybe more). Besides size, I think my time is longer because I have a cheap and wimpy dedicated frier, which isn’t fast at getting the oil back up to temperature after I drop the balls in. Also I sometimes use fish that is only recently defrosted, which means the balls can be quite cold. I also keep my Parmesan in the freezer, which I don’t suppose a lot of people do, unless like me they buy the big bags of it at Costco. Anyway, it’s not just about being patient. I have to cook them past golden brown to cook them to the inside, with my variables as they are, and if I hadn’t started making them smaller, I can imagine not being able to cook them through without overcooking the exterior. They’re more appetizing to look at golden brown too. That said, I’m a big fan and indebted to you for this recipe.
Hi just signed on to your website! Everything looks so good! Thank you for this site.Alot of westindian/american people like myself have been looking for something like this.I will definitely be sharing.
Can I bake the fish balls
Used 2 birds-eye chillies instead of scotch bonnet (I couldn’t get scotch bonnet in my local shop) – very easy recipe to follow and beautiful results.
Thanks for sharing this!
Would this work baked?
For all the years my mom made these to eat with fried bake we call it accra love them the thyme give it such a great flavor . She also made meat balls using canned corn beef in gravy and spread over rice dont forget some type of beans on the side yuuuuuummmy
Can I use a blender instead of a food processor ?
Can I use a blender? I
These look yummy! I"ve tried several of your recipes already and they have not failed; can't wait to try this one!
fish cakes
Thank you again Chris.. I can always find exactly what I am looking for on your site
Interesting interpretation but will NOT be authentic with anything but salted cod fish,
The other thing is in Barbados we call then FISH CAKES not FISH BALLS. Haven't tried yours, Chris but sorry to tell you, you can't touch my Grandmother's or my Mom's or a good few others that have made fishcakes an art. If you've seen how beautifully made our fishcakes are made in a traditional coal pot and served with [ scotch bonnet] pepper sauce (I won't mention the word 'authentic' again), you'd think you died and went to heaven.
We in Barbados are very passionate about our fishcakes!
For party food, having the perfectly formed balls is fine but again, the REAL way, isn't so perfectly formed and somehow, much better.
While I can appreciate experimenting/substituting, I think any review of traditional food like this, must given a respectful nod to its origins.
what you're speaking about I know as being accras or fish cakes, which I did about a year or so ago on the website. BTW did you know that several cultures around the world have a version of this recipe?
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.
That's true. For example, in Martinique, they're known as l'accra en morue.
what other fresh fish can you recommend for this recipe Chris?
something like a white sea bass or any mild tasting fish will work
Delicious! Reminds me of Accras de Morue from the French Antilles;-)
i make something similar but start with salt fish… do you recommend the fresh because it processes smoother or do you prefer the flavor?
Reminiscent of my grandfather's fish cakes recipe – except he used potato instead of bread crumbs. I'll definitely give this a try!
i make something similar but start with salt fish… do you recommend the fresh because it processes smoother, or because of the taste?
Love these to serve as appetizers.
Please say I can use tilapia for these?