Seafood
Cheesy Cod Fish Balls
Prep
30 minutes
Cook
1 hour
Yield
30 -32 small cod fish bals
These cheesy Cod Fish Balls are so delicious and easy-to-make. Make them for appetizer, side dish, or even a main dish when served with some veggies and rice.
You’ll find variations of Fish Balls in many places such as New England and Portugal. You’ll also find them in different shapes too like made into fritters or cakes. This popular dish uses cod fillets, potatoes and herbs to make a delicious protein-packed snack that can be served as an appy, side dish, or even a main course when paired with a few side dishes.
❤️ Why You’ll Love Fish Balls
- Simple Ingredients: When you buy frozen variations of foods like this they are often full of preservatives and misc ingredients you don’t know how to pronounce. These Fish Balls are made with simple, easy-to-find ingredients so you can feel good about what you’re eating.
- Versatile: As I mentioned above, you can serve these in so many ways. They are great for a snack or appetizer, but you can also have them as a side dish or even a main course when paired with some veggies and a carb.
- Healthy: Cod is so good for you. It’s a mild tasting fish that is incredibly versatile and delicious. More on the health benefits below!
🍲 Ingredients
Cod – Fish is really good for you and cod specifically is so versatile because even if you don’t love fish, cod is really mild tasting. Cod also packs vitamin B12, selenium, phosphorus, and omega-3 fatty acids. It’s also a lean source of protein. Given its mild taste, there are so many things you can make with cod! Try this Pan Fried Cod or Easy Baked Cod.
Potatoes – What helps bind these Fish Balls together is the mashed potatoes. For this recipe I used russet potatoes. Russet potatoes have a high starch content which makes them great for mashing.
👩🍳 How to Make Cod Fish Balls
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Put the potato pieces in a pot with cold salted water and bring to a boil. Cook until fork tender, about 20-25 minutes.
- When the potatoes are done, drain the water and then add the potatoes to a medium bowl. Mash the potatoes and set aside.
- When the oven is preheated, add the cod pieces to the parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Set the cod aside to cool for a few minutes.
- Once the cod has slightly cooled, use a fork (or forks) to pull apart / shred the cod.
- Add the shredded cod to the bowl with the mashed potatoes, along with the pressed garlic, grated onion, salt, pepper, chopped parsley, chopped mint, chopped dill, olive oil, panko breadcrumbs, lemon zest and whisked eggs. Mix until well combined.
- Cover the bowl set in the fridge for 2 hours, until everything is completely cooled and firm to the touch.
- Once fully cooled, scoop out 2 tablespoons per ball, gently push a piece of mozzarella cheese into the center of the ball and roll into balls around the mozzarella. Set aside on a plate. This should yield 30-32 cod fish balls.
- To fry: Add the avocado oil to a medium pot or high-sided pan, about 1 ½ – 2 inches and heat over medium heat. You’ll know when the oil is hot enough if you dip the back of a wooden spoon in the oil and it sizzles.
- Set aside a plate with a paper towel on it. Fry the cod fish balls in batches, for about 5-7 minutes, rotating about halfway through to ensure golden brown colour all around. Make sure you don’t crowd the pan when frying.
- Once fried, set aside fried cod fish balls on the paper towel and repeat until all of the cod fish balls are fried. If you find the cod fish balls are getting too dark in colour, turn the heat down a bit. Serve immediately.
🗒 Tips and Tricks
- Potatoes: As we discussed, russet potatoes are ideal for their high starch content, which leads to a fluffy texture.
- Don’t Overmix: Overmixing the potato and cod mixture can lead to gluey Fish Balls. Mix just until everything is combined.
- Chill The Mixture: By chilling the mixture in the fridge it makes it easier to work with and mold into balls. If you skip this step it’s going to be much more challenging.
🗒 Variations
If you like these Cod Fish Balls you can try some of these other fish fritters that I think you’ll love:
🗒 Substitutions
- Cod: If you can’t find cod you can use another mild tasting, flaky fish like halibut.
- Herbs: There are a variety of herbs in this recipe to add flavor but you can play with the amounts to make this recipe your own.
- Mozzarella: I love mozzarella in these Fish Balls but you can substitute this for another kind of cheese.
🗒 Best served with
👝 How to Store Leftovers
These are best fresh but leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Pan fry them or bake them on low to reheat for the best consistency. You can freeze these as well either before or after cooking for an easy appetizer.
🤔 Common Questions
The first and most important thing to do is to ensure you chill the mixture long enough in the fridge. The next problem may be that your oil is not hot enough for frying. Lastly, the third issue could be not using enough binder like eggs or potatoes..
Absolutely! Preheat your oven to around 375°F. Place the Fish Balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and lightly spray them with cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
Cheesy Cod Fish Balls
Ingredients
- 2 small-medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks (about 2 cups mashed potatoes)
- 550-600 g cod filets, cut into large chunks
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 medium yellow onion, grated and juices squeezed out
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp finely chopped mint
- 1 tbsp finely chopped dill
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 30-32 small cubes of mozzarella cheese (about ½ inch squares)
- avocado oil for frying
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Put the potato pieces in a pot with cold salted water and bring to a boil. Cook until fork tender, about 20-25 minutes.
- When the potatoes are done, drain the water and then add the potatoes to a medium bowl. Mash the potatoes and set aside.
- When the oven is preheated, add the cod pieces to the parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Set the cod aside to cool for a few minutes.
- Once the cod has slightly cooled, use a fork (or forks) to pull apart / shred the cod.
- Add the shredded cod to the bowl with the mashed potatoes, along with the pressed garlic, grated onion, salt, pepper, chopped parsley, chopped mint, chopped dill, olive oil, panko breadcrumbs, lemon zest and whisked eggs. Mix until well combined.
- Cover the bowl set in the fridge for 2 hours, until everything is completely cooled and firm to the touch.
- Once fully cooled, scoop out 2 tablespoons per ball, gently push a piece of mozzarella cheese into the center of the ball and roll into balls around the mozzarella. Set aside on a plate. This should yield 30-32 cod fish balls.
- To fry: Add the avocado oil to a medium pot or high-sided pan, about 1 ½ – 2 inches and heat over medium heat. You’ll know when the oil is hot enough if you dip the back of a wooden spoon in the oil and it sizzles.
- Set aside a plate with a paper towel on it. Fry the cod fish balls in batches, for about 5-7 minutes, rotating about halfway through to ensure golden brown colour all around. Make sure you don't crowd the pan when frying.Once fried, set aside fried cod fish balls on the paper towel and repeat until all of the cod fish balls are fried. If you find the cod fish balls are getting too dark in colour, turn the heat down a bit. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Make sure you let the cod fish ball dough rest in the fridge for 2 hours to ensure the cod fish balls stay together when frying.
- Serve these cod fish balls as a delicious appetizer!
