Fish Meatballs: Tender Hake Balls in a Light Sauce

I first published this recipe quite a while ago, back in February 2006 to be exact (this blog has been going for more than 20 years now).

Back then I wasn't in the habit of taking many photos of my dishes. Today I made these fish meatballs again, with a few variations, and once more they surprised our guests: my brother and his family.

Ingredients

• 1 kg hake fillets
• 125 g breadcrumb (the soft inside of the bread)
• 200 ml milk
• 200 ml fish stock
• 1 garlic clove (optional)
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1 egg
• Water, flour and oil

Method

Poach the hake fillets in salted water. Meanwhile, soak the breadcrumb in the warm (not boiling) milk. As soon as the water with the fish comes to the boil, the fish is done: take it off the heat and pat the fillets a little dry.

Next, flake the fish with a fork and mix it with the soaked bread, the egg, the garlic and the parsley. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.

Shape the mixture into balls (albóndigas in Spanish, mandonguilles in Catalan, polpette in Italian) and coat them in flour. Fry the meatballs in a frying pan with plenty of oil, or in a deep fryer, and set them aside.

For the sauce, gently cook a chopped onion until it is nice and soft, then add some flour (as if you were making a béchamel). When it starts to colour, add the fish stock (if you also add a few small prawns, it's even better); today I added some peas. Let everything simmer with the meatballs for about 10 minutes, so the sauce thickens nicely and the dish is ready to serve.

As well as being tasty, they are intriguing: you expect meat meatballs, and instead they're made of fish, and very delicate.

🌐 Llegeix aquesta recepta en català