Recipe

Spicy Fishy Balls

Photo by Janneke Verheij

Chef
Janneke Verheij's Notes: I feel like I should eat more fish, it’s supposed to have all kinds of important nutrition’s in it, like omega 3, and in this long, never ending winter we can use some extra. I never mind...
I feel like I should eat more fish, it’s supposed to have all kinds of important nutrition’s in it, like omega 3, and in this long, never ending winter we can use some extra. I never mind to skip meat anyway but a lot of times I do nothing to replace it. These fish balls are very juicy and delicate, you can use any type of white fish to make them.

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In a food processor pulse the fish with 1 onion and 2 garlic cloves until everything is small. Add 2 tablespoons cilantro and 2 tablespoons parsley, the harissa, bulgur, cumin, pepper, salt and 1 tablespoon of the paprika. Mix it together and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes or more.
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Cut the second onion and the two remaining garlic cloves. In a skillet (or tajine) warm some oil and bake the onion and garlic until soft. Add the tomato paste and bake until it starts to smell sweet. Add the tomatoes and the remaining paprika, the bay leaf, pepper and salt. Let this simmer so it can turn into a sauce. (I add more water to the sauce and cooked some broccoli in it but that is only if you like to eat broccoli next to it). If you like spicy, you can add some harissa to the sauce as well.
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Form small balls out of the fish mixture and lay them in the sauce. Bake/ cook them in the sauce on a low fire for about 15 minutes. Turn them only once very carefully because they are quiet delicate. Before serving add a squeeze of lemon juice, the remaining cilantro and parsley.
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