Say hello to great flavor and happy summertime cooking with Albóndigas de pescado, our tasty and easy Dominican fish balls made with simple ingredients and inexpensive fish. Get this recipe and enjoy one of my favorite Montecristi beach flavors straight to your table!
By - Reviewed: . Original: Jul 17, 2012
Why we ❤️ it
Every time I think of albondigas de pescado I cannot help but think of the lazy beach days of summer in my hometown of Montecristi. This is one of the few things I like about the season.
These fishballs are cooked in a tomato sauce, ready in a very short time, and are easy to make.
What's albóndiga de pescado
Albóndiga is the generic Spanish word for any savory food in the shape of a ball, as a rule of thumb, meat balls is what we think of if no other context is given. Albóndigas de pescado (fish balls) are balls made of minced fish, spices, and vegetables.
Dominican albóndigas de pescado can sometimes be fried and can be served with a dip. This one I present to you here is a very popular dish in Montecristi, where I come from, so this recipe follows quite faithfully the version I know from my native city.
Dominican fish balls (albóndigas de pescado).
Serving suggestions
I like to serve these fish balls with a bit of arroz blanco (white rice), some avocado, or tostones.
Top tips
- Picking fish: Nearly any white fish fillet available in supermarkets can be used in this dish. Traditionally it is prepared with warm water fish (lower in fat) like bass, grouper, or red snapper. For non-traditional fish balls, you can use salmon. I have found that this does not work well with frozen fish, as it tends to release too much liquid when thawed.
- Consistency: Fishballs are stickier and mushier than meatballs. If you find it impossible to work with it, add an extra couple of tablespoons of bread crumbs, but don't overdo it because they will have too much of a bouncy texture if you add too much breadcrumb.
- Freezing: You can also freeze them (covered) for an hour too to make them easier to work with.
- Keto version: Fish balls are not keto-friendly, neither are fish balls gluten-free. You may have to make some adaptations to substitute something else for the breadcrumbs, but I haven't tested anything that would yield the same results as bread crumbs.
About our recipe
Fish balls are one of my favorite ways to make fish, and it is also a great way to make the most of inexpensive fish. You can double the recipe and make large batches to freeze, they keep quite well for a couple of weeks if stored wrapped tightly to prevent freezer burn.
Depending on the size of the balls, this recipe yields up to 16 to 20 fish balls and can serve 4 generous portions or 6 decent portions.
Video
Recipe
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Albondigas de Pescado [Video+Recipe] Fish Balls in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
For the fish balls
- 1 small white onion
- ½ bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 sprigs parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground)
- 1 pound white fish filet, [0.75 kg] fresh, skinned
- 1 cub breadcrumbs, or homemade breadcrumbs (extra, if needed, see notes)
- vegetable oil, to grease your hands
For the sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon bija (annato, achiote) powder
- 1 large white onion, cut into strips
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1½ bell pepper, cut into strips
- 4 large tomato, cut into cubes
- 2 sprigs parsley, (or cilantro, if you prefer)
- 1 teaspoon salt
To garnish
- 3 limes, (cut into wedges)
Instructions
1. Make seasoning
To make the seasoning, combine bell pepper, onion, garlic, parsley, a pinch of pepper, and a teaspoon of salt and pulse in the food processor until you obtain a coarse paste. Set aside.
2. Make balls
Cut the fish into cubes and pulse in the food processor until it turns into a uniform paste. In a large bowl, combine fish and seasoning paste from step 2. Mix well. Stir in the bread crumbs and combine well.Grease your hands with some oil, scoop 1½ tablespoons of the paste (see notes), and make the fish paste into balls of about 1½" in diameter. Set aside in the fridge.
3. Make sauce
- To make the sauce, heat the oil over low heat in a large skillet or pot. Stir in the bija powder. Add the onion and cook and stir until it becomes translucent. Add garlic, tomato, and bell pepper and cook and stir for a minute over medium heat. Cover and simmer for five minutes, until the tomatoes start releasing liquid.
4. Cook balls
- Very gently add the fish balls to the tomato sauce, making sure they don't break.Simmer over low heat for five minutes. Gently flip the fish balls and simmer for another five minutes.Sprinkle with black pepper and parsley.
5. Serve
Remove from the heat. Serve with the limes per suggestions above the recipe.
Cook's Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
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More fish recipes
Seafood recipes are some of our favorite in our blog, and fish appears in many of our most popular recipes, like Pescado frito (fried fish), Pescado guisado (Fish in tomato sauce), Sopa de pescado (fish soup), Pescado con coco (fish in coconut sauce), and many more Dominican fish recipes.
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