Tuna Balls today for a simple and very tasty appetizer that I flavored with parsley, but you can vary by adding a few leaves of thyme.
Meatballs are a dish made with meat, vegetables, and fish, then mixed with breadcrumbs and egg and flavored to taste.
Meatballs are often seen (and eaten) also as leftover food because sometimes they are a homemade and simple way to use up leftover boiled and/or roasted meat, and they should not be seen as a way to put “anything” into the mixture!
GENERAL TIPS FOR MIXED MEATBALLS
What type of meat to use for meatballs?
We can use pork shoulder ground, turkey breast, chicken or turkey breast and thighs, beef belly, or we can go to the store and get a nice piece of mixed pork and beef ground meat.
How to make meatballs soft and tender?
If we add some sandwich bread, soak it first in a little milk or water so that no hard chunks remain, or we can add boiled potatoes passed through a sieve or potato masher, and also add ricotta to make the mixture fluffy.
How to replace breadcrumbs in the meatball mixture?
If we’re talking about breadcrumbs inside the mixture, I often use sandwich bread, both white without crust and with… if instead we are talking about the breadcrumbs that coat the outside our homemade and tender meatballs, we can use crumbled breadsticks, panko (typical Japanese breadcrumbs found in the “exotic” sections of supermarkets), crumbled taralli, crumbled cornflakes… in short, we can customize the outer coating in many ways, just let your imagination run wild!
How to cook meatballs?
Starting from the super classic fried ones at no more than 356°F in plenty of peanut oil if possible, or in a pan, boiled, skewered on wooden sticks and cooked on the grill, baked, stewed perhaps with a base of onion or shallot and lots of good tomato sauce, but also after a non-stick pan cooking, au gratin in the oven with a very creamy béchamel sauce.
EASY AND TASTY RECIPES WITH TUNA
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Here is also the recipe for LIGHT ZUCCHINI MEATBALLS IN A PAN
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I started a channel of recipes open to everyone and free on WhatsApp, no notifications, no sound, which you can join by clicking the link here https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaHbGIn9cDDig7Cw2x0F and every day you can read a sweet and a savory recipe!
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TUNA BALLS
The kitchen of ASI
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 7 oz tuna in oil (well drained)
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups sandwich bread (blended into a fine mix)
- 1 tbsp capers in salt (rinsed under running water)
- 1/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano (grated)
- as needed chopped parsley
- 2 pinches lemon zest (grated)
- as needed breadcrumbs
- as needed vegetable oil (plenty, preferably peanut)
Tools
- Absorbent paper
- High-sided saucepan
- Bowl
- Colander
- Spoon
- Slotted spoon
Tuna Balls Recipe Preparation
For these tuna balls that are so good they’ll be gone in no time, so make a lot…
I drain the oil from the fish can very well and blend it in the mixer.
I put the result in a bowl, also adding the finely crumbled sandwich bread, the finely chopped parsley, and the grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
I now add the egg and the desalinated and finely chopped capers.
I mix well, blend the mixture, and create many small balls.
I put 3/4 tablespoons of breadcrumbs on a plate and roll the tuna balls in them, waiting for a small saucepan with oil to reach temperature (about 356°F).
I remove the excess coating and fry the tuna balls for the few minutes needed to brown them on each side.
As the tuna meatballs are browned, I drain them on kitchen absorbent paper, and they are ready to be served at the table.!
Good, easy, homemade, and very tasty these little balls!!
Enjoy your meal!
Annalisa
