How to Make Crunchy Tuna Fish Balls
“Make these crunchy tuna fish balls using canned tuna, which are great as a snack, or even as a meal. It’s so easy to prepare, just mix, deep fry and enjoy!”
Fish ball is one of the most are popular street food in the Philippines. They are often sold by street vendors on practically every street corner in their mobile wooden carts. Most Pinoy loves them because they’re affordable, tasty and filling.
Fish balls have also become part of the Philippine culture since most Filipinos has their fair share of fond memories of this well-known street food. Just like me.
I remembered during my school days, I savored them during our break time. Together with friends, we would go out of the campus to spot a not so crowded street vendor and enjoyed fish balls along with other street foods like kikiam, squid balls and kwek-kwek. I missed those days.
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What fish is being used for fish balls
These round shape balls are primarily made from fish meat ground to a paste. The usual fish balls are made of cuttlefish, cream dory, mackerel, and sometimes tilapia, but generally you can use any type of fish as long as it has fewer bones and more gluten. They are then deep fried until golden brown and then skewed in wooden sticks.
Fish Ball Sauces
Typically, fish balls are dipped in a variety of sauces, including spicy, sweet, and sweet and sour. Deep-fried fish balls are usually served with one of three dips or maybe a combination of both (my personal preference).
Manong’s Fish ball Sauce. The favorite and the most popular of all. The word “Manong” which translate to “Mister” is how Pinoy’s refer to the vendor who produces the sauce for the fish balls. It’s a versatile dipping sauce that goes with a wide range of street foods. It has a thick consistency, is sweet and spicy, and is brown in color. Water, flour, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, red chilies, ground pepper, and salt are used to make this sauce. You can also make your own fish ball sauce at home with few ingredients.
Spiced Vinegar. Composed of vinegar with chopped onions, salt and ground black pepper. I want to make mine with a bit of sugar to balance the sour taste and chopped chilies to make it spicy.
Sweet and Sour Sauce. Has thick consistency and has sweet and sour taste as the name implies. Sometimes this is store-bought.
How to make Tuna fish balls
Making these tuna fish balls is pretty simple and straight forward. You just need to mix all the ingredients in a bowl and blend until it can form a ball.
If the mixture is a bit dry, add a little water at a time. You can start with about 1 tablespoon and stir it in. Be careful as adding more water than necessary will result in a sticky mixture. The mixture is perfect if you can form a ball out of it.
To add nutrition, flavor and color, I added vegetables into it. You can swap other vegetables that you have or preferred.
Scoop around 2 teaspoons of mixture and form into balls, making about an inch size. Make the balls as uniform as possible.
After making the balls, then you can deep fry them. If you want less grease, you can either pan fry or air fry the fish balls.
After frying, you can enjoy them with your favorite dipping sauce.
Why canned tuna?
In this recipe, I used a canned tuna flakes instead of fresh or frozen fish.
I used canned tuna as it is almost always available at any pantry. Even if your fridge is bare, the basic ingredients for this recipe, canned tuna fish and eggs, are nearly always available.
Also it saves me a lot of time and energy. The usual fish balls require you to cook and debone the fish unless you’re using a frozen fillet fish.
Tuna fish balls have become a great alternative to other fish ball recipes for these reasons.
How to store these tuna fish balls
If you’re making a large batch of tuna fish balls and want to save some for later, make sure to store them correctly to avoid spoiling.
It is better to store them in the freezer for a longer shelf life. After shaping them into a ball, put them in a plate or container with at least ½ inch space to avoid sticking to each other. Freeze them for approximately 1-2 hours. After they have frozen, place them in a freezer bag and freeze. They’ll be good for around 5-6 months if stored properly.
Thaw in the fridge for about an hour before frying.
How to serve these fish balls
Tuna fish balls can be eaten in a number of different ways. They can be deep-fried or air-fried and served as an afternoon snack with your favorite dipping sauce. They’re also great as a meal paired with rice. You can also use them as toppings in Pancit Canton or Pancit Bihon.
These tuna fish balls turn out to be quite flavorful and tasty. Try them and enjoy with your whole family. Happy tummy!
Tuna Fish Balls Recipe
Equipment
- Mixing bowl and spatula
- Measuring cup and measuring spoon
- Deep pan, skillet, wok or air fryer
- Tong, skimmer or slotted spoon
- Plate and paper towels
Ingredients
- 180g can tuna in can
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 small carrot, minced
- 1 small onion, minced
- 1 stalk spring onion, chopped
- ½ teaspoon chili powder, optional
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- water (as needed)
- oil for frying
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine tuna flakes, flour, cornstarch, baking powder, minced carrots, minced onion, chopped spring onions, chili powder, pepper, salt and sugar.
- Mix all the ingredients well until incorporated. If the mixture is a bit dry, add a little water at a time. Start with about 1 tablespoon and stir it in.
- Using a spoon, scoop around 2 teaspoons of the mixture and form into balls, making about an inch size. Make the balls as uniform as possible.
- In a deep pan, heat oil over medium heat. Fry the fish balls for about 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from the pan and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Serve while hot with your favorite fish ball sauce.
- Share and enjoy!
Video
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