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 (our recipe) (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)
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.
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.