Boulettes de Poisson (Deep Fried Fish Balls with Tomato Sauce) Recipe-

Ingredients:

For the Fish Balls-

• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 2 to 3 Scotch Bonnet peppers, chopped fine
• ½ bunch of parsley, chopped
• 2 lb. whitefish fillets, fine chopped (you can also use halibut, any soft fleshed fish that is not too strongly flavored is good)
• ½ cup bread crumbs
• 1 Maggi seasoning cube (a favored African seasoning, you just have to have this ingredient!)
• ¼ cup whole milk
• Freshly ground coarse sea salt and black peppercorns, to taste
• Lots of vegetable oil for deep frying

For the Tomato Sauce-

• 3 tbsp. red palm oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 2 to 3 Scotch Bonnet peppers, minced
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• Freshly ground coarse sea salt and black peppercorns, to taste

Directions:

For the Fish Balls-

1. Place the fish, onion, parsley and chilis into a food processor (or large mortar and pestle if you want to do it the traditional Senegalese cuisine style) and process until well blended and smooth. Add the fish and continue to process until smooth and pasty, then place in a large bowl.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, blend together the milk and bread crumbs, then add this into the bowl with the fish mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir and blend both mixtures together thoroughly.
3. Oil your hands and use them to form the fish mixture into balls (about the size of a golf ball), and set them on a tray or platter.
4. Heat the vegetable oil to about 365°F in a deep fryer or a high-walled skillet. Put a few of the fish balls in and deep fry, turning often, until the balls are a deep, golden brown color on the outside. Take them out with a large slotted spoon and set them on a paper towel-lined platter to drain, and repeat the process until all the fish balls are cooked. Set aside while you prepare the tomato sauce.

For the Tomato Sauce-

1. Heat the red palm oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add in the garlic, chilis and the onion, and sauté until the onion is cooked through, fragrant and translucent.
2. Add in the tomatoes and tomato paste, stir together well, and simmer for 3 or 4 minutes. Add in the broth, salt and pepper, and stir together well again. Simmer for another 5 minutes or so.
3. Now add the fish balls into the tomato sauce and simmer for just another couple of minutes.
4. Do a taste test, and adjust seasonings if necessary.
5. Serve your Boulettes de Poisson over rice pilaf or, better yet, some Ceebu Jen.

---