Weever Fish Balls

Ingredients

• 1 kg weever fish
• Potatoes
• Eggs
• Breadcrumbs

Preparation

The first step is to ask your fishmonger or market vendor to prepare the weever fish, making it easier to handle later.

Peel the potatoes and place them in a pot of boiling water. When they are about halfway through cooking, add the whole fish, making sure not to discard the head, as it is the part that contributes the most flavour to the dish. Once everything is fully cooked, after approximately twenty-five minutes, remove it from the heat, drain it and allow it to cool slightly.

When cool enough to handle, carefully remove all the bones from the fish, which are particularly numerous in this species, and also collect the flesh from the head. Using a fork, mash the fish and potatoes together until a smooth mixture resembling a purée is obtained. Some families add a few spoonfuls of the cooking broth to make the mixture easier to work with and to enhance its flavour.

Next, add the beaten eggs and mix everything thoroughly. Shape the mixture into balls, coat them in breadcrumbs and fry until golden brown.

As is often the case in traditional cooking, every household has its own variation. Some people prefer to boil or stew the fish balls in a sofrito rather than frying them. Others replace the eggs with a thick béchamel sauce or flavour the breadcrumbs with garlic, parsley or paprika. The same recipe can also be prepared using other popular fish such as small-spotted catshark, gerret or salema.

Rediscovering Humble Fish

At a time when gastronomy is rediscovering traditional species and championing local cuisine, the weever fish is reclaiming its rightful place. Far removed from the commercial stars of the seafood market, it continues to offer some of the finest qualities for broths, soups and resourceful cooking.

Weever fish balls are far more than an old recipe. They are a testament to a way of understanding food based on respect for ingredients, household economy and the accumulated knowledge of generations of Menorcan fishermen and cooks.