Dongjiang Fish Balls
Traditional Dongjiang-style fish balls with a white color, smooth texture, and springy bite.
Ingredients
Fish paste (puree scraped from dace, bighead carp, or silver carp)
500g
Refined salt
30g
Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
5g
Peanut oil
50g
Instructions
1
Prepare the Fish Paste
Place the fish paste in clean water and gently pull it apart by hand to wash away any fishy smell. Drain off the water, then place it on a cutting board and lightly chop it, applying even pressure without scraping up wood shavings, in order to keep it clean. Continue chopping until the surface becomes glossy, then scrape off the top layer and chop the remaining portion. Repeat this process until all of the paste has been chopped.
2
Mix the Fish Paste
After chopping, transfer the fish paste to a bowl, add 200g of clean water and mix well. Add the refined salt and MSG, and stir until the mixture becomes sticky (develops a gel). Then add the peanut oil and blend evenly. Shape the mixture into fish balls (each weighing about 10g) and place them in clean water. The balls should all float to the surface when ready.
3
Cook the Fish Balls
Once all the balls are shaped, pour them along with the water into a pot. Simmer over low heat until just barely boiling, then remove as soon as they are just cooked through.
