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    Home » African Party Food

    PUBLISHED: May 9, 2018 · UPDATED: Sep 26, 2018 by Precious · This post may contain affiliate links · 28 Comments

    FISH BALLS - AFRICAN STYLE

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    Before I tell you where I've been can we talk about these fish balls?? Crazy addictive fish balls which are so crunchy on the inside then moist and super tasty on the inside. The perfect appetizer for enjoying at home, entertaining guests, taking to picnics, and so on.

    When the head of the tasting committee tried these fish balls, he couldn't stop eating them. "Sweet, that fish thing is so good," he said. My kids shared the same sentiments. They kept eating and eating with my toddler sneaking to swipe some behind my back. Ha.

    African Fish Balls

    There are different kinds of fish balls - like Chinese Fish Balls and Italian Fish Balls. These fish balls are prepared with different seasonings and/or techniques just like meatballs are prepared in different ways around the world. So this post is focused on an African approach to fish balls, more precisely, a West African approach.

    West African fish balls

    If you've never tried fish balls before, I encourage you to try it. You will be amazed!

    The ingredients for these African style fish balls, are pretty simple: fish fillets, eggs, garlic, onion, cilantro (substitute with parsley), flour and some seasoning.

    African Fish Balls ingredients

    Also, you need breadcrumbs for that irresistible crunch on the outside. I had to capture the breadcrumbs together with the other ingredients but I forgot - blame it on the "mommy brain"! I used panko breadcrumbs here but you could use regular breadcrumbs or even make your own breadcrumbs.

    Breadcrumbs for African Fish Balls
    Panko Breadcrumbs

    I start off by lightly boiling the fish with salt and white pepper then I place the fish in a bowl.

    cooked fish fillet for African Fish Balls

    To the fish, add some minced garlic, onion, flour, an egg, some chopped cilantro/parsley and a sprinkle on a seasoning cube.

    African Fish Balls ingredients in a bowl

    Mix them all up together until they become one and indivisible. This mixture is everything! So tasty just like my meatball mixture. Insanely good!

    African Fish Balls mixture

    Now form this mixture into balls - I used a cookie scoop to scoop it out to give me fairly even shapes.

    African Fish Balls shaped into balls

    As you can see, the balls look covered in flour. That's because I rolled them in some flour right after forming them. After rolling them in flour, dip the balls into beaten egg then finally roll into breadcrumbs and fry!

    Fried Fish Balls

    Can you taste the crunch from there? I don't know where I will be without good food like this. Making delicious happen is purely one of my joys in life. These fish balls are crazy delicious. The highlight for me is that crunch on the outside. All you hear is "grish grish grish" when you eat it.

    Crunchy African Fish Balls

    I made some fried plantains to go with it but you could also serve this with potato fries or any side you like. They are also great on their own. Another option is to make a simple African tomato stew to go with these fish balls then serve on rice. So good!

    Crunchy African style fish balls together with some fried plantain and African pepper sauce and you are in foodie heaven! Print this recipe and go make some, friends. It is a thousand times worth it!

    Recipe

    Crunchy African Style Fish Balls

    African Style Fish Balls

    These fish balls made West African style are crunchy on the outside, moist, garlicky and tasty on the inside. Irresistibly good! If you are looking for a special recipe to wow, this is it.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: African
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 12 fish balls
    Calories: 74kcal
    Author: Precious

    Ingredients

    • 12 oz fish fillets (340g) - 5 small fish fillets I used mackerel (see Note 1)
    • 3 cloves garlic - minced
    • ½ medium onion - finely chopped
    • 1 stem parsley or cilantro - finely chopped
    • ½ cup breadcrumbs I used panko breadcrumbs (See Note 2)
    • 2 large eggs
    • ¼ cup flour
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon white pepper
    • 1 seasoning cube (Maggi) 4g cube

    Instructions

    • Place fish fillets in a pot, add ⅛th of a cup of water (the water should be very little and dry up as the fish cooks), salt and white pepper. Let it simmer on low heat for about 5-10 minutes until the fish is soft and flaky and the water is all dried up.
    • Place the fish in a bowl and use a fork to mash up. Add in onion, garlic, parsley, seasoning cube, 1 egg and 2 tablespoons of the flour (reserve the other part of flour). Mix all the ingredients together lightly then shape the mixture into balls.
    • Note: I used a cookie scoop to scoop out the mixture and shape into balls - this made sure they were all about the same size. You could do same or use a measuring tablespoon to scoop the mixture. If you don't mind large fish balls, then use an ice cream scoop to scoop the mixture (I prefer my fish balls smaller).
    • Also note: the fish ball mixture can get very sticky and hard to handle. If it gets sticky. wet your hands with water and continue forming the balls.
    • When all the balls are formed, place the remaining egg in one bowl and beat, place flour in another bowl then place breadcrumbs in another bowl. Roll a fish ball in the flour then place it in the egg mixture to coat it. Place it in the breadcrumbs and ensure the breadcrumbs coat the ball all around. Place the ball on a tray. Repeat process with the rest of the balls.
    • Place oil in a pan up to 4 inches then heat up the oil on medium heat to 350 degrees F. Place the balls in the oil, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Let them cook for about 4 minutes on one side then you flip them to the other side and let them cook for another 3 minutes. Remove and place on paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
    • Serve fish balls as they are or with any side of choice. I love serving them with fried plantains and African pepper sauce.

    Notes

    1. I used mackerel fish because I found mackerel fillets at an Asian store I shop at. The fish I used is called "salt mackerel) and I had to soak it for several hours to remove the salt from it. HOWEVER, you do not have to use mackerel. You could use any fish fillet you like. Also, if fish fillets are not readily available in your area, then you could get whole fish and use a sharp knife to fillet the fish (seperate the flesh from the bones).
    2. You could use regular breadcrumbs if you choose to but I used Panko breadcrumbs because they are much crunchier than regular.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 74kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 272mg | Potassium: 122mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 47IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @preciouscore or tag #preciouscore!

    Pin this recipe:

    These fish balls made West African style are crunchy on the outside, moist, garlicky and tasty on the inside. Irresistibly good! If you are looking for a special recipe to wow, this is it! Get the recipe on Precious Core. #Appetizer #AfricanFood #FishBalls #PreciousCore

     

    For everything there is a season,
        a time for every activity under heaven.
    A time to be born and a time to die.
        A time to plant and a time to harvest. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2)

    pre-signature-pro

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    About Precious

    Welcome to my core! I am Precious Nkeih, the recipe developer and writer right here on my blog, Precious Core. My goal is to show you insanely delicious recipes you can replicate in your kitchen. And I love to tell stories too. Hope you find recipes here that will make cooking easier for you! Check me out on YouTube at YouTube.com/PreciousKitchen.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Tomeka Love says

      May 09, 2018 at 12:37 pm

      Greetings, know you indicate fish fillets but what types of fish are good for this receipe? Like say can you use lets say salmon or haddock or perch or cat fish? Thanks

      Reply
      • Precious says

        May 09, 2018 at 1:38 pm

        Hi Tomeka, any white fish of choice will work here.

        Reply
    2. Rebecca Caesar says

      May 09, 2018 at 12:25 pm

      Yummy , thanks Precious

      Reply
      • Precious says

        May 09, 2018 at 1:37 pm

        You are welcome, Rebecca!

        Reply
      • Fossung Linda says

        April 16, 2020 at 8:48 am

        Thanks mum I love ur recipe n I really wish to meet u in real life some day. Thanks 😘

        Reply
        • Precious says

          April 18, 2020 at 1:25 pm

          Awww hope I meet you too someday.

          Reply
      • Dorathy Ndifreke says

        October 03, 2020 at 11:38 am

        Hello ma please there was a souce you made with chicken and used corn starch and soy sauce please may I see the video?

        Reply
        • Precious says

          October 07, 2020 at 7:57 am

          That's my chicken stir fry. Here is the video: https://youtu.be/snsXB6Zyz6o

          Reply
    3. Tomeka Love says

      May 09, 2018 at 2:44 pm

      Thanks, I cannot wait to cook. Looks delicious!

      Reply
    4. favourmoyse says

      May 12, 2018 at 5:22 am

      Looks tasty but l'll pass. Ate something similar sometime ago and it tasted really funny. Now l am scared of anythin fish in enclosed flour

      Traditional yen yen yen yen

      Reply
    5. Patty Kibong says

      May 29, 2018 at 4:41 am

      Hmmmmmm.....I'm definitely trying this out any day soon. I'm a sucker for small chops/finger foods. Can't wait to get the grish, grish feel in the mouth. Thanks for always bringing your recipes close to home by making available options. God bless you plenty

      Reply
      • Precious says

        May 30, 2018 at 7:14 pm

        You are most welcome, Patty! That grish grish sound is everything. Hope you enjoy.

        Reply
    6. Mary says

      June 08, 2018 at 9:02 pm

      Thank you for the recipes. You make me feel like I am home. I can't wait to try the African doughnuts and the fish balls. I love to eat and good food for that matter. Thanks so much. Can you please post the African ginger drink recipe. The type the Muslims back home sell on the streets. thank you

      Reply
    7. Roxy says

      June 20, 2018 at 6:08 am

      I can't wait to try this!!

      Reply
      • Precious says

        July 26, 2018 at 4:01 pm

        Hope you have had a chance to try it, Roxy!

        Reply
    8. Judith says

      June 25, 2018 at 5:58 am

      Thanks for this recipe. I'm definitely trying it soonest.

      Reply
      • Precious says

        July 26, 2018 at 4:01 pm

        Enjoy, Judith!

        Reply
    9. Susan says

      October 14, 2018 at 3:09 am

      I tried these out with smoked mackerel and they're so delicious. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Precious says

        October 16, 2018 at 11:39 am

        So glad to hear that, Susan! Thanks for the feedback!

        Reply
    10. Agbanavor Grace says

      December 08, 2018 at 9:31 am

      Please I want to see how the bread crumbs look like, I have search for it but I did not get any

      Reply
      • Precious says

        December 11, 2018 at 9:36 am

        Hi, the post has a picture of Panko breadcrumbs and I also included a link to a post to how to make your own breadcrumbs. Just scroll up and read.

        Reply
        • Ethel Focgha says

          September 20, 2019 at 8:15 am

          Thanks so much Mme... I'm definitely trying this tomorrow Saturday. I know hubby will totally love it ..

          Reply
          • Precious says

            September 25, 2019 at 9:55 am

            Hope you guys enjoy, Ethel!

            Reply
    11. Esther oyas says

      March 29, 2020 at 5:24 am

      Woow you are amazing thank you so much for all your help 🙏🙏I love you so much ma you have really helped me a lot.im grateful

      Reply
      • Precious says

        April 01, 2020 at 1:15 pm

        You are very welcome, dear.

        Reply
    12. Elle says

      April 19, 2020 at 1:59 pm

      Tried the recipe and it is perfect. I did not use mackerel though

      Reply
    13. Becky Fredrick says

      May 15, 2020 at 2:36 am

      Its great meeting here, just getting advanced and exploring in cooking. Q

      Reply
    14. Sonia says

      December 05, 2020 at 3:51 am

      Pls I need the video on how to make the fishball please

      Reply

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