Try these Vegan Fried Fish Balls that are delicious, crunchy, and dipped in a spicy and sweet sauce that will take you back to the streets of the Philippines!
Missing Filipino street food? Try my Vegan Isaw (barbecued oyster mushrooms), Ube Ice Candy (Purple Yams), or my Shakoy (Filipino Donuts)!
What are fish balls?
Fish Balls are popular street food in the Philippines that are usually sold on carts by street vendors who peddle around town. Dipped in a sauce full of bold and fragrant flavors that also can be enjoyed with other street food like kwek kwek.
What are fish balls made of?
It’s usually made with fish paste, salt, egg whites, and corn starch. But manufacturers have changed the recipe to save money so it’s made more with cheaper ingredients.
Thankfully, it’s super easy to make at home, so give them a try!
Tips and Procedures:
- If you’re unable to find kalabasa (pumpkin squash), you can use your favorite squash. Keep in mind, it’s best to stick with kalabasa.
- Deep Frying: Feel free to use vegetable oil or canola oil, it has a high frying point and does not have any taste.
- Salt: Himalayan rock salt or regular salt works if you can’t get rock salt.
- Feel free to process the carrots and kalabasa (squash) in a food processor instead of grating.
- Storage: Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. To reheat, simply toast them in a small toaster oven for 10 minutes. Microwaving makes them soggy, but feel free to do so.
How to Make Fried Vegan Fish Balls
Listed below are all the ingredients you will need:
Fish Balls:
- water
- dried seaweed or nori seaweed
- all-purpose flour
- cornstarch
- onion powder
- black pepper
- rock salt
- brown sugar
- carrots
- green onions
- squash
- coconut oil
For the sauce:
- water
- sugar
- soy sauce
- salt
- cornstarch
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- garlic cloves
- red onions
To make the fish balls:
In a medium bowl, add 2 cups of water, seaweed and soak until softened, about 10 minutes. Next, remove the seaweed from the water, mince the seaweed, and place it back in the water. If using nori seaweed, mince, then set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch, onion powder, black pepper, rock salt, and brown sugar until well combined.
Next, gradually add soaked minced seaweed water to the bowl and mix. Then add carrots, green onions, and squash.
Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium heat and add coconut oil.
Using a spoon, scoop and drop spoonfuls of the fishball batter into the pan and cook until it’s golden brown.
Once it’s cooked, remove it from the saucepan, place it on a strainer to remove the excess oil, and place it on a plate and continue cooking until no more fish ball batter.
To make the sauce:
In a medium bowl, add water, sugar and mix until the sugar is dissolved. Then add soy sauce, salt, cornstarch, onion powder, garlic powder, and mix until well combined making sure to remove any lumps.
In a saucepan, add sauce and over medium heat bring the sauce to a boil so the sauce can thicken. Keep an eye on it, so the sauce does not burn. Then add garlic and onions and simmer for a minute then turn off the heat.
Then coat your fish balls and give them a try! You’ll love them!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Seaweed gives the fishy taste of traditional fish balls.
For this recipe, it’s best eaten immediately but can last up to 3 days. To reheat, bake in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350F.
Kalabasa is a pumpkin squash usually found in Asian markets.
Looking for more vegan Filipino Recipes? Try these:
Filipino Vegan Fish Balls
Ingredients
Fish Balls:
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup dried seaweed or nori seaweed
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon rock salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ cup grated carrots
- 2 tablespoons green onions sliced
- ½ cup grated kalabasa squash
- 2 cups coconut oil
For the Sauce:
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup red onions minced
Instructions
For the Fish Balls:
- In a medium bowl, add 2 cups of water, seaweed and soak until softened, about 10 minutes. Next remove the seaweed from the water, mince the seaweed and place back in the water. If using nori seaweed, mince, then set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch, onion powder, black pepper, rock salt and brown sugar until well combined.
- Next, gradually add soaked minced seaweed water to the bowl and mix.
- Add carrots, green onions, squash, and mix until well combined.
- Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium heat and add coconut oil.
- Using a spoon, scoop and drop spoonfuls of the fish ball batter into the pan and cook until it’s golden brown. Once it’s cooked, remove from the saucepan, place on a strainer to remove the excess oil, and place on a plate and continue cooking until no more fish ball batter.
- Using a bamboo skewer, thread 5-6 fish balls and serve with the sauce.
For the Sauce:
- In a medium bowl, add water, sugar and mix until the sugar is dissolved. Then add soy sauce, salt, cornstarch, onion powder, garlic powder and mix until well combined making sure to remove any lumps.
- In a saucepan, add sauce and over medium heat bring the sauce to a boil so the sauce can thicken. Keep an eye on it, so the sauce does not burn.
- Add garlic and onions and simmer for a minute then turn off heat. Allow the sauce to cool and set aside sauce.
A favorite whenever I bring it to Filipino parties!
Oh yes, Max. This is really a crowd-pleaser in Filipino gatherings. Thank you for dropping by!