Fish Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Fish mince binds worse than meat: less connective tissue, more water. Three things save it — part-cooked rice that soaks up moisture, an egg to hold it together, and cold. A warm mixture sticks to your hands and disintegrates in the pan.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 1 h 5 min
- Servings
- 5
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 340 kcal
Ingredients
Meatballs
Sauce
Makes: about 20 meatballs
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Method
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Step 1: Mince the fish
Put the fillets and onion through a mincer. Tip the mixture into a sieve for 10 minutes so the loose liquid drains and the meatballs will keep their shape.
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Step 2: Mix and chill
Work in the rice, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Slap the mixture against the bowl a few times, then chill 20 minutes — cold mince rolls twice as easily.
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Step 3: Build the base
Cook the grated carrot and chopped onion in the oil for 8 minutes, add the tomato paste and sugar and fry 2 minutes more.
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Step 4: Make the sauce
Pour in the hot water, add the bay, season and bring to the boil. Keep it thin: the meatballs will still absorb liquid.
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Step 5: Shape them
With wet hands roll walnut-sized balls. The film of water stops the mixture sticking and cracking.
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Step 6: Lower them in
Drop the balls into the simmering sauce one at a time without stirring. Leave them untouched for the first 5 minutes while the surface sets.
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Step 7: Simmer
Cover and cook over low heat for 25 minutes. Stir in the sour cream 5 minutes before the end to soften the tomato's acidity.
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Step 8: Check doneness
Cut one open: the inside should be an even matt white with no glassy patches, and the rice soft. Scatter with dill.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Boil the rice only halfway. Fully cooked rice collapses in the sauce and turns the meatballs to porridge.
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Variation
Swap the breadcrumbs for 50 g of white bread soaked in milk and squeezed out; the meatballs come out softer.
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Tip
If the mixture still feels loose, add a spoonful of semolina and rest it 15 minutes — it swells and binds the moisture.
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Storage
Three days in the fridge, three months in the freezer; freeze them raw, spaced out on a board.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 5 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 340 kcal | 1,700 kcal |
| Protein | 25 g | 125 g |
| Fat | 16 g | 80 g |
| Carbohydrates | 22 g | 110 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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