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Roll up those sleeves and get stuck in with the kids with food writer and cookbook author Olia Hercules’ fish balls recipe. Teach the little ones how to have fun in the kitchen and make a quick, easy, and delicious dinner for our latest recipe in our Cooking With Kids series.
There’s a comforting element and a certain appeal in this dish that’ll go down well with the whole family. Hercules has always felt something quite Nordic about fish balls and recalls: “Whenever I eat these, I always think of being hygge-warm in my childhood home, reading and eating – still my favourite pastimes to this day.” Make this your new favourite in your household too.
Fishballs in tomato sauce
Serves: 2 (Makes 10 balls) | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 10-15 mins
Ingredients:
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
300g fillet of pollock or similar
1–2 tbsp fine semolina
1 beaten egg (to help binding, optional)
2 tbsp rapeseed or vegetable oil
Sea salt and black pepper
For the tomato sauce:
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp crème fraîche
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until translucent and just starting to turn golden.
2. Add the bay leaf and tomato purée and cook for a minute or so, then add the tinned tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. (My mum also adds a pinch of sugar, but I don’t.)
3. Let the sauce reduce a little, then stir in the crème fraîche and switch off the heat. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
4. For the fish balls. My son and I like this comforting kid’s version: put the onion, garlic, a generous pinch of salt and some pepper into a food processor, then pulse until well chopped. Now add the fish and semolina and pulse again a couple of times. You will end up with a homogenous, sticky mixture, but it shouldn’t look too pulverised. (If you want a more adult version, finely chop the onion, garlic and fish by hand, then add the semolina and a little beaten egg to help bind the mixture.)
5. With wet hands, form into ten 40g fish balls and pop them on a plate or tray.
6. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and brown the fish balls, in batches, on all sides. Take care when flipping them, as they may be delicate.
7. Slip the browned fish balls into the tomato sauce, making sure they are submerged, and cook over a low heat for 10–15 minutes, until cooked through.
For more recipes Summer Kitchens by Olia Hercules is out now, published by Bloomsbury in hardback £26.