Name: Palestinian Fish Meatballs
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 6 tbsp olive oil; 1 1/4 cups large red onion diced (1 large); 1 1/4 cups large white onion diced (1 large); 6 garlic cloves minced; 1 1/2 lbs cod fillets skinless, boneless, cut into 1 1/4 inch chunks; 2 red chiles fresno or red jalapeño, 1 diced, 1 sliced into rings; 3/4 cup fresh parsley chopped; 3/4 cup fresh dill chopped plus few sprigs for garnish; 1 lemon 2 tsp zest then cut into 6 wedges; 1 large egg; 2 tsp Fish Spice Blend ingredients below; 1 tbsp sumac; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp ground black pepper; 2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt or Labneh; 2 tsp ground cardamom; 2 tsp ground cumin; 2 tsp turmeric; 1 tsp paprika smoked or sweet; 1/2 tsp kosher salt; 1/4 tsp cayenne powder

Palestinian Fish Meatballs

Course: Dinner, Main DishCuisine: PalestinianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Resting Time

minutes

Total time

minutes

Ingredients

6 tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 cups large red onion diced (1 large)
1 1/4 cups large white onion diced (1 large)
6 garlic cloves minced
1 1/2 lbs cod fillets skinless, boneless, cut into 1 1/4 inch chunks
2 red chiles fresno or red jalapeño, 1 diced, 1 sliced into rings
3/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
3/4 cup fresh dill chopped plus few sprigs for garnish
1 lemon 2 tsp zest then cut into 6 wedges
1 large egg
2 tsp Fish Spice Blend ingredients below
1 tbsp sumac
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt or Labneh
Fish Spice Blend
2 tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika smoked or sweet
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp cayenne powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°F.
Put 3 tablespoons of oil into a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
In a food processor, pulse the chunks of fish a few times until broken down a bit. Add the cooled onion mixture, chopped chile, herbs, lemon zest, egg, 2 teaspoons of the fish spice mix, sumac, salt and black pepper. Process again until finely chopped but not a complete paste.
Using a 3 tbsp scoop or your hands, shape the mixture into about 16 meatballs.
Put 2 tablespoons of oil into a large frying pan and place on a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the kofta and brown all over in batches of 2 or 3 and fry for about 4 minutes, turning often.
Transfer to a parchment-lined baking tray and bake for 4 or 5 minutes, until just cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes to slightly cool.
To serve, spread the labneh or yogurt evenly on plate and top each with 3-4 cod meatballs. Sprinkle the kofta with sumac, dill sprig and sliced chile. Drizzle last tablespoon of oil over and serve, with a lemon wedges.
Fish Spice Blend
Whisk together in a small bowl to combine. Store in an airtight container if not using right away. I like to blitz this mixture in a spice grinder to make the salt powdered and thoroughly mixed, but this is optional.