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Crispy Fish Ball with Lemon Sauce

Chef John Zhang

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Are meatballs getting boring? Let’s switch things up with these fish balls. With a mixture of finely chopped fish and other vegetables, it’s made into a ball, coated with batter, and fried to a crispy golden ball. The inside is tender and juicy and the finely chopped vegetables add dimension to the flavor as well as texture. As if that wasn’t good enough, there’s a special lemon sauce for dipping, and it’s the best combo. Garnish with some zest and get ready for a flavor explosion!

Recipe

PRE TIME: 20 min

COOKING TIME: 1 hr

TOTAL TIME: 1 hr 20 min

4 SERVING

Ingredients:

2 lb. Sea bass
For the marinade
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. White pepper
1 tbsp. Shaoxing wine
1/4 tsp. Sugar
1 tbsp. Ginger, minced
1 tbsp. Cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsp. Carrot, minced
1 tbsp. Celery, roughly chopped
1 tbsp. Green onion, chopped
1 tbsp. Roasted sesame seed
2 tbsp. Egg white
3 tbsp. Corn starch
1 Large Lemon
Sauce
2 tbsp. Lemon juice
2 tbsp. Water
1 tbsp. White vinegar
2 tbsp. Sugar
1/8 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Custard powder
2 qt. Cooking oil
1½ cup Egg white
1 cup Corn starch
1 cup Corn starch
Garnish
1 tbsp. Chives

Directions:

Step 1

Descale the fish, and remove its guts. Wash with cold water, and pat dry with paper towels.

Step 2

Cut off the head. Cut the fish open horizontally along the backbone. Then remove the backbone. Slice off the remaining bones. Trim to make two fillets.

Step 3

Place the fillet skin-side down on a cutting board. Gently scrape the flesh off the skin using the heel of your knife.

Step 4

Mince the fish, then put it in a large bowl. Add salt, ground white pepper, Shaoxing wine, sugar, minced ginger, minced carrot, minced celery, minced green onion, roasted sesame seed, egg white, and cornstarch. Mix well until the mixture feels sticky. Note: If it is too watery, you can add some potato starch.

Step 5

Grab some fish meat mixture, push it through the circle formed by the thumb and index finger to make a fish meatball. Place the meatball onto a plate.

Step 6

Carefully cut off the yellow outer layer of a lemon, then cut it into thin strips. Squeeze the lemon juice into a bowl, add water, white vinegar, sugar, salt, and custard powder. Mix well.

Step 7

Add egg white and cornstarch to a bowl then mix well.

Step 8

In a wok over medium heat, bring oil to 140°F-170°F/60°C-80°C. Dust the meatballs with cornstarch. Dip the meatballs in the egg and cornstarch mixture. Then fry for 3-5 minutes until the meatball floating and golden. Remove from oil, and drain.

Step 9

In another pan over medium-low heat, add lemon juice mixture. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

Step 10

Place the fried meatball on a serving plate; pour the lemon juice mixture over the meatballs. Add some lemon skin thin strips, some minced green onion on top.