Serves: 8
Total Calories: 162

4 to 5 cups water
Fishball Mixture A, B, C or D

Fishballs can be used in a variety of ways: they can be deep-fried and served with a sweet-and-pungent sauce, combined with stir-fried vegetables, or added to soups and red-cooked dishes.

Preparing the fish:
Use either fish fillets or whole fish. With the latter, have the fish split in half and the head and big bones removed. Then, with a spoon or blunt knife, scrape the flesh from the skin. Always work from tail to head. (If you work the other way, the fine bones will come loose and be difficult to separate out.)

Making the Fish Mixture:
Follow any of the four recipes--Fishball Mixtures A-D.

Forming the Fishballs:
If the fish mixture is moist, take a fistful and squeeze it through a hole made by joining thumb and index finger, to form walnut-size balls. Or, if the mixture is of a drier consistency, shape the fishballs between the palms of the hands. (Moisten the hands first.)

Cooking the Fishballs:
Bring 4 to 5 cups of water almost to a boil. Add fish balls and cook over medium heat until done (3 to 5 minutes). The fish liquid may be enriched with 4 beaten egg yolks and 1 teaspoon salt, stirred in at the end of cooking, and then served with the fish. Or a fish stock may be substituted and the fish balls cooked in it. To prepare stock, simmer the fish head and bones in 4 to 5 cups of water for an hour. Then stir in 1 tablespoon vinegar, a few drops of sherry, and either 1 tablespoon lard or a few drops of sesame oil.

Storing Fishballs:
Fishballs cannot be stored raw, but must be parboiled first. Plunge fishballs, a few at a time, into boiling water and cook until they float. Drain and let cool. Place in a large bowl of cold water, cover, and refrigerate. The fish balls will keep several days.

NOTE: Two pounds of fish fillets make about 20 fishballs.

The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 8
Total Calories: 162
Calories from Fat: 64

More Recipes from the Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook Cookbook:
*Fish
Basic Braised Soy Fish
Basic Deep-Fried Fish, In Pieces
Basic Deep-Fried Fish, In Pieces: Coatings I
Basic Deep-Fried Fish, In Pieces: Coatings II
Basic Deep-Fried Fish, Whole
Basic Deep-Fried Fish, Whole: Coatings
Basic Fishballs
Basic Steamed Fish
Braised Bitter Melon Stuffed With Minced Fish
Braised Carp In Chicken Fat I
Braised Carp In Chicken Fat II
Braised Fish Steaks And Vegetables
Braised Fish Steaks With Bean Curd
Braised Fish Stuffed With Pork
Braised Fish With Deep-Fried Bean Curd
Braised Soy Fish With Mushrooms And Bamboo Shoots I
Braised Soy Fish With Mushrooms And Bamboo Shoots II
Braised Soy Fish With Oyster Sauce
Braised Soy Fish With Red Dates
Clear-Simmered Fish I
Clear-Simmered Fish II
Clear-Simmered Fish III
Deep-Fried Bean Curd Stuffed With Minced Fish
Deep-Fried Fillets With Egg Whites
Deep-Fried Fish Fillets With Vinegar Sauce
Deep-Fried Fish Rolls With Almonds
Deep-Fried Fish Rolls With Ham And Spanish
Deep-Fried Fish Rolls With Pork
Deep-Fried Fish Sections With Vegetables
Deep-Fried Fish Squares, Szechwan Style
Deep-Fried Fish With Vegetables
Deep-Fried Fishballs And Chinese Cabbage
Deep-Fried Marinated Fish Fillets With Sesame Seeds
Deep-Fried Marinated Fish, In Pieces
Deep-Fried Marinated Sweet-and-Pungent Fish, Whole
Deep-Fried Small Marinated Fish
Deep-Fried Sweet-and-Pungent Fish, Shanghai Style
Fishball Mixture A
Fishball Mixture B
Fishball Mixture C
Fishball Mixture D
Pan-Fried Fish Cakes
Pan-Fried Fish Fillets With Eggs
Pan-Fried Fish Fillets With Pineapple
Pan-Fried Marinated Fish Steaks
Pan-Fried Stuffed Fish Skin
Pan-Fried Sweet-and-Pungent Fish
Pan-Fried Sweet-and-Pungent Fish Steaks
Red-Simmered Fish
Simple Pan-Fried Fish
Steamed Dried Fish
Steamed Fish Topping: Basic
Steamed Fish Topping: Black Bean Sauce I
Steamed Fish Topping: Black Bean Sauce II
Steamed Fish Topping: Brown Bean Sauce I
Steamed Fish Topping: Brown Bean Sauce II
Steamed Fish Topping: Dried Olives
Steamed Fish Topping: Ham
Steamed Fish Topping: Lily Buds I
Steamed Fish Topping: Lily Buds II
Steamed Fish Topping: Mushrooms I
Steamed Fish Topping: Mushrooms II
Steamed Fish Topping: Mushrooms III
Steamed Fish Topping: Shrimp Sauce
Steamed Fish Topping: Tea Melon
Steamed Fish With Subgum Ginger
Steamed Fishballs
Steamed Whitefish Steak
Stir-Fried Fish And Bean Sprouts
Stir-Fried Fish With Lily Buds
Stir-Fried Fish With Vegetables
Stir-Fried Minced Fish and Chinese Turnip