Directions
Today is Friday, a sunny and windy day, the eighth day of 2025, we celebrate the mythical random fish recipe day.
The star of the recipe is halibut. Many will turn their noses up at it, take me to task and are already sharpening their machetes: it is baby fish, not very tasty, it doesn’t even have bones.
But I say to you: no, no and no, I won’t stand for it!
Halibut is a delicious fish with a buttery aftertaste that melts in your mouth, it just needs a few tricks to become a delicacy: so here’s how to make the perfect fish balls. I’ll say it now: the secret to making halibut divine are two: nutmeg and Parmesan cheese. And thank you, you’ll tell me, everything is good with these two ingredients, but just a sprinkle and the halibut takes off.
Try making them for your children and you’ll see what a feast!
The process is lengthy, especially for making the patties one by one, a painstaking, precision-maniac job, laborious, but in the end the result repays all the effort.
Ingredients for the perfect fish balls
- 700 g halibut
- 3 eggs
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 70 grams Parmesan cheese
- 1 tuft of chopped parsley
- 90 grams of breadcrumbs
- 1 glass of milk
- salt, pepper and nutmeg
How to prepare halibut and nutmeg meatballs
Let’s start with the halibut. It has no bones so there is no need to inspect it with tweezers. Wash it in running water. Put crushed garlic in 3 tablespoons of olive oil and cook over a gentle flame for 3 minutes.
Cook and meanwhile with a wooden fork mash the fish and stir. When the milk has dried up, 7 minutes, turn off and leave to cool. It should not be a cream, but a nice thick amalgam.
Grate the Parmesan cheese and nutmeg.
Place the fish in a bowl, if there is still milk left, drain it. Add the Parmesan cheese, a little pepper and a little nutmeg and mix. Now add the bread and continue to knead with your hands. Look for a good consistency, not too bready: halibut has a delicate taste and should not be mortified either with too much bread or “spicy suggestions“.
When the dough is nice and firm, but still wet, take a small amount, press it lightly to compact it and make a ball, rolling it circularly between your palms, which you will then roll in breadcrumbs. And go on like this until you are done. Yes, it is exhausting work. If you have children, get them to help you and they will have a lot of fun, at least for 3 minutes… Don’t make them too small or they will dry out as they cook, let’s say if they fit between your thumb and forefinger closed in a circle, you’ve got it!
In a frying pan, or deep fryer, put plenty of sunflower oil and then fry the meatballs for 7-8 minutes and then put them to drain on kitchen paper.
They should be eaten at room temperature, not hot: let the meatballs cool and serve them accompanied by a simple salad.
Which wine to pair with fish balls?
Let’s choose a fragrant, floral, refined wine such as the Gewurztraminer from the Brunnenhof wine cellar, a delicious wine, great to refresh your mouth with every meatball! If you want to pair a sparkling wine as rocky and salty as the sea, Champagne, Franciacorta and Oltrepò Pavese are perfect.
If you prefer to combine a cocktail, the Spritz is the right choice.
