Recipe

Wild Salmon Ginger Meatballs

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This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Meatballs
Chef
gingerroot's Notes: I had not planned on entering another meatball…until thinking about what I would make for dinner tonight. The inspiration for these meatballs is practical in nature (rather than a food daydream...
I had not planned on entering another meatball…until thinking about what I would make for dinner tonight. The inspiration for these meatballs is practical in nature (rather than a food daydream); my daughter (age 5) and son (age 2) have widely different palates and coming up with a healthful weeknight dinner that makes them both happy is often a tricky task. While my daughter loves fresh fruit and vegetables of all kinds, she will not try anything too spicy or bold; my son, to my great pleasure, will eat curries and sauces that have a kick but will turn his nose up at most vegetables, cheese, and eggs (the shortlist). Two things they agree on are salmon and kale – with that in mind here are some wild, gingery salmon meatballs that we enjoyed with some angel hair pasta (brown rice-quinoa for my gluten-free hubby), steamed kale and a quick butter-crème fraiche-lemon zest sauce (with two tired, hungry little ones chomping at the bit, I now remember why dreaming up contest recipes at dinnertime is not always the best laid plan). Tender, sweet and gingery they were gobbled up by said tired and hungry little ones (and adults)...I will be making these again. Note: Since my husband is gluten intolerant I did not use any kind of binder other than an egg. Although these meatballs held together nicely, because they are so soft when uncooked, when they hit the hot pan they began to collapse under their own weight and were not quite as round as I had envisioned. Adding some breadcrumbs could help alleviate this, or perhaps cooking in the oven.

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Serves 4-5

1 pound wild sockeye salmon fillet, skinned, pin-bones removed Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 cup minced sweet onion Ask a question about this ingredient

Generous Tablespoon minced fresh ginger Ask a question about this ingredient

2 teaspoons minced garlic Ask a question about this ingredient

2 teaspoons mirin Ask a question about this ingredient

1 teaspoon dill Ask a question about this ingredient

1 teaspoon salt Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 teaspoon white pepper Ask a question about this ingredient

1 egg Ask a question about this ingredient

1 1/2 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil Ask a question about this ingredient

Squeeze of a juicy meyer lemon wedge (about 1 1/2 -2 t juice) Ask a question about this ingredient

Cut salmon into one inch long strips. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until well combined, (without turning salmon into paste) occasionally scraping down sides of bowl with a spatula. Transfer meat mixture to another bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
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Make meatballs (because the fish is so soft, I used a Tablespoon measure and it worked nicely) and arrange on a plate. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook meatballs, browning and turning as you go until done, about 3-4 minutes. Serve as desired and enjoy.
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13 Comments on Wild Salmon Ginger Meatballs

brooklyncook added about 1 year ago

This really appeals to me post-Thanksgiving... I'll let you know how it fares with my kids!

gingerroot added about 1 year ago

Thanks brooklyncook! Hope your two liked these as much as my two. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'm crossing my fingers for a family NYC trip in the spring!

ChezSuzanne added about 1 year ago

This looks absolutely wonderful!! I just saved it am making them soon. I'm a salmonaholic, so these are perfect for me.

gingerroot added about 1 year ago

Thanks ChezSuzanne! Fresh ginger has made me a big salmon fan - and these are really tender and moist - you cannot beat good quality wild salmon. I hope you enjoy them! I added an edit below - the oil should not be included in the actual meatballs (although it reads that way).

gingerroot added about 1 year ago

I just noticed a little typo in my recipe - when you combine all ingredients in the bowl of the food processor, it is all ingredients EXCEPT the oil. Sorry, the oil is for cooking the meatballs in. Enjoy!

monkeymom added about 1 year ago

The combo with the Kale and sauce sounds so good! Would love the instructions for that.

gingerroot added about 1 year ago

Hi mm! I just washed the kale leaves, steamed them till bright green and then chopped, removing the tough stem. For the sauce, it was about 2 T of butter, 4 ounces of crème fraiche, a touch of milk, some lemon zest and salt to taste. Not the most delicate sauce, but the flavors were good - and really good with the kale and meatballs. I hope you were able to find that Hawaiian vanilla you were looking for...I stopped by that egg store I had mentioned (I think the same day you were here) and was disappointed that they did not carry the mac nut oil that I had purchased there earlier this summer.

gingerroot added about 1 year ago

Thanks all for your kind words! I hope you do try these - they are a tasty and healthy - and at the end of the day, made me a very happy Mom (with two satisfied little ones). : )

gingerroot added about 1 year ago

Sorry..."they are tasty and healthy" is what I meant...

AntoniaJames added about 1 year ago

Love it! I am really looking forward to trying this one soon. Have you tried whirring up in your food processor some quick oats to use instead of bread crumbs? I often do that to go wheatless. Not sure if that would help in the case of your husband's restrictions . . . . but it's an idea. ;o)

gingerroot added about 1 year ago

Thanks for your oat suggestion, AJ! Although I have heard of "certified gluten free" oats, my husband is still leery about eating them. I will keep playing with this recipe...they were delicious as is, just not completely round.