Making Fish Paste at Home
In most Asian household fish paste is normally bought from the fishmongers because it is presumed to be a laborious proposition to make at home. In fact there are many specialty stores in Asian cities offering only fish paste and fish balls. These stores are often known for their own signature variety of fish paste or fish balls. But it’s surprising to know how easy it is to make fish paste at home.
Before the advent of mechanized processing, fish paste (魚漿) was made in large mortar by smashing the ingredients with pestle. White fish is smashed until completely disintegrated, and then egg white, starch and seasonings are added. Occasionally you can still find a traditional fish paste store using these ancient tools. Now though, we can make fish paste successfully in the home kitchen using a food processor.
To make fish paste, select white fish with very firm meat. I like to use pollock or shark. Along with good arrowroot starch they make excellent chewy fish paste. I strongly suggest you get arrowroot starch for this recipe and not cornstarch. All ingredients should also be kept at a very cold temperature. In this recipe I suggest the use of ice cube during blending to keep the temperature low.
Once created the fish paste can be used in many different ways. It can be used to stuff eggplant, bitter melon or other vegetables, made into fish balls, or formed into cake and deep-fried. You can even drop lumps of the raw paste into soup or a hot pot. To form fish balls put a handful of the paste in your palm. Then make a circle with your index finger and thumb. With your other fingers squeeze the fish paste through the hole, and squeeze your thumb and index finger together to slice off the ball when it’s the desired size.
We enjoyed this fish balls during our Chinese New Year hot pot dinner. I added ham and chopped scallion to make the dish more interesting. I also made a shrimp paste by substituting equal amount of shrimp for the fish in the same recipe. I hope you’ll enjoy it as well.
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Fish Paste (魚漿)
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- Preparation time: 20 minutes
- Rapid cooking time: 15 minutes
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- 1 lb. white fish (pollock)
- 1/2 cup arrowroot starch (can be substituted with tapioca starch or cornstarch)
- Egg white from 2 eggs
- 3 ice cubes (about 1-inch square)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
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- Cut up the fish into 1/2-inch cubes. Put all the ingredients except for the ice cubes in a food processor and blend for about two minutes or until smooth. Then add the ice cubes and continue to blend for another three minutes or so. The paste should be very thick with a lot of elasticity. The finished paste should be very smooth with no solid pieces of fish. Scoop the paste into a bowl and refrigerate for about an hour before using.
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Ham Fish Balls (火腿魚丸)
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- Preparation time: 20 minutes
- Slow cooking time: 15 minutes
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- 2 cups fish paste (one portion of the above Fish Paste recipe)
- 2 tablespoon minced ham
- 2 tablespoon minced scallion
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- Add the ham and scallion into the cold fish paste and be sure to mix very well. Then form the fish balls and put them spaced evenly on a flat tray. Cook the balls in boiling water for about three to five minutes depending on the size of the balls you formed. Set aside for used in soup or in hot pot.
February 2nd, 2009 at 10:28 am
Oh wow, thank you for this. You know, it really is funny how some foods can seem super complicated until you understand them. Excellent instructions.
Definitely going to try this.
Cheers!
+Jessie
a.k.a. The Hungry Mouse
February 4th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
I’m starving! I visit your blog and I can’t believe how hungry I get! I may even give these a whirl. Happy anniversary Kian!
February 16th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
I’ve eat this.My mom usually made it for breakfast in the morning.Beside fish paste,my mom always use prawn or potatoes or even banana.Malays called it “cekodok”.Nice post! Remind me of my mom..
February 19th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
Thank you for this post. Very simple and yet tastes so good.
March 4th, 2009 at 2:06 am
I must try your recipe… I haven’t make any fishball in my lfe
It’s ashamed, I know but it’s never too late to try it out ain’t it. There’s a noodle seller in my hometown that uses Eel to have this silky texture. They are famous and people (even in Merz) as far across the borders came to eat their noodles and their homemade fishballs. I read somewhere, they even exported their fishballs. Some of my expert ‘Aunties’ said you must have bouncy fishballs to prove it’s delicious LOL. As a child, I always imagined those fishballs bouncing and flew everywhere when you tested for their bounciness and worthiness to eat. Even today, before I eat any fishball, squid/fish balls or meatballs, that’s what am looking for.
AS usual, your blog is wonderful and kept reminded me as part of my heritage. Thank you for sharing
March 24th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Kian
Do you know the white fish in Chinese?
Peiling
March 24th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Kian
I found the Kraft Food their website has a very fun service that you can choose the dish you like from their website and they can make a personal cookbook to you. I love that idea and like to make a personal cookbook for my sister’s birthday gift. Here is the information http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/Recipes/CookbookLanding.aspx
Take a look of it. Maybe you can think about it to have that in your website.
Peiling
March 29th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Peiling, Pollack belongs to the cod family of fish. In Chinese it is called 綠鱈. I’ve also considered cookbook printing services, but have yet to decide whether to sign up with any of them.
July 27th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Before I try your recipe, I just want to know why does it require 3/4 lb of chinese brown sugar? Will the fish paste be very sweet?
Thanks
July 27th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Ooops! I have to apologize for the mistake. The brown sugar has no business to be in that recipe. Thank you for pointing that out to me. I’ve removed it and the recipe as it appears now should work. Thanks.
September 4th, 2009 at 2:24 am
Oh WOW. I’ve been eating my parents’ cooking for years, and for the last decade, have tried to do most of it on my own…
As it is, my parents hardly speak any English and much to my lack of foresight, I don’t read/write in Chinese…so…I have plenty of great memories of food, and can usually taste ingredients….and fish paste is something that I’ve been unable to make (nor find anywhere but at my parents)…I’m going start working on this soon!!