Boulettes de poisson

Ingredients

Fish

• 800 gwhite fish fillet, skinned and boned
• 1 sliceof stale bread, soaked in milk
• 1egg
• 3garlic cloves, crushed
• 1small onion, finely grated
• a handful of parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoonground cumin
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• black pepper

To coat and fry

• plain flour, for dusting
• oil, for shallow frying

Onion sauce

• 4onions, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoonsoil
• 2 tablespoonstomato paste
• 2tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoonground cumin
• 300 mlwater or fish stock
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt and pepper

To serve

• fresh baguette
• harissa or chilli sauce
• lemon wedges

Directions

1. Use a firm white fish that holds together. It should smell clean and of the sea. Check the fillets very carefully for bones. Pull any bones out with tweezers. Cut the fish into rough chunks.
2. Put the chunks in a food processor. Do not run the machine continuously. Squeeze the milk out of the soaked bread. Crumble it into the minced fish. That bread keeps the balls tender. Add the egg, garlic and grated onion. Add the parsley, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix it thoroughly with your hands. Work it for a minute so it holds together. Fry a small piece of the mixture.
3. Taste it and adjust the salt and cumin. Raw fish mixture should not be tasted. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it. Give it a full thirty minutes to chill. Roll the fish mixture into balls. Aim for balls about the size of a walnut. Roll each ball in a little plain flour.
4. Shake off any excess flour before frying. That flour coating helps them brown. Set them out on a tray as you go. Making the onion sauce is done alongside. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pan. Add all the thinly sliced onions. There should be a great deal of onion. Cook them slowly over a medium heat. Give them a full fifteen minutes.
5. Stir in the tomato paste thoroughly. Fry the paste for a good two minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and the cumin. Cook them down for five minutes. Pour in the water or the fish stock. Simmer it for ten minutes until thick.
6. Squeeze in the lemon juice at the end. Season it well with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a wide pan to a shallow depth. It should be hot enough to sizzle at once. Add the balls in a single uncrowded layer. Fry them for about three minutes. Turn them gently as they colour. They should be golden all over.
7. Break one open to check the first batch. The fish should be cooked right through. Lift them onto kitchen paper to drain. Simmer them together for five minutes. Others keep them separate and crisp. Pack the hot fish balls inside it. Spoon the onion sauce over them generously. Add harissa or another chilli sauce. Squeeze lemon over the whole thing. The sauce keeps three days refrigerated.

Technique

• Mauritania’s Atlantic waters are among the most productive in West Africa and have been fished by both local and foreign fleets.
• Overfishing pressure in those waters has been widely documented and affects small-scale local fishers.

Substitutions

• Any firm white fish works, and cheaper species are what street stalls actually use.
• Tinned fish can be used at a pinch, though the texture is quite different.

Variations

• Some cooks simmer the balls in the sauce rather than serving them separately.
• A version with more chilli in the mixture is made for those who want heat.
• Similar fish balls are eaten across the Sahel and North Africa.

History

Made from the Atlantic catch landed at Nouadhibou and Nouakchott, whose fisheries are among the richest in West Africa.

Frequently asked questions

What is Boulettes de poisson?

Boulettes de poisson is a street food from Mauritania: minced fish balls fried and served with onion sauce and bread. Made from the Atlantic catch landed at Nouadhibou and Nouakchott, whose fisheries are among the richest in West Africa.

How long does Boulettes de poisson take to make?

Boulettes de poisson takes 40 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 24 balls. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Boulettes de poisson?

Yes, within limits. Any firm white fish works, and cheaper species are what street stalls actually use. Tinned fish can be used at a pinch, though the texture is quite different.

What is the most important thing to get right in Boulettes de poisson?

Put the chunks in a food processor. Do not run the machine continuously. Squeeze the milk out of the soaked bread. Crumble it into the minced fish. That bread keeps the balls tender. Add the egg, garlic and grated onion. Add the parsley, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix it thoroughly with your hands. Work it for a minute so it holds together. Fry a small piece of the mixture.