Fiskbullar (fish balls) in lobster sauce
55 min · 42 g protein · 444 cals / serving
The Swedish childhood classic, made at home: soft, springy cod dumplings poached until just set, in a blush-pink sauce of hummerfond (lobster stock), sweet prawns, a little tomato and a splash of cream. Served the classic way with boiled potatoes and green peas, and a sprig of dill.
Ingredients
Fiskbullar
- 1 1/3 lb cod, skinless, in chunks
- 2 large egg whites
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- scant 1/2 cup skimmed milk, 0.5% fat, fortified
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
Till servering
- 1 1/3 lb potato, peeled
Hummersås
- 2 tsp butter
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour (bleached)
- scant 1 cup skimmed milk, 0.5% fat, fortified, cold
- 1 1/4 cups fish stock or water + 1–2 tbsp lobster stock concentrate fish stock
- 3 1/2 tbsp cooking cream, 15% fat
- 3 1/2 oz boiled prawns, peeled cooked prawns, chopped
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Till servering
- 1 2/3 cups cooked frozen green peas
- a few sprigs fresh dill
Steps
- Put the cod, egg whites, cornstarch, milk, salt and white pepper in a food processor and pulse to a smooth, sticky paste, about 1 minute. Chill 15 minutes so it is easier to shape.
- Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in salted water 15–20 minutes, until tender.
- Bring a wide pan of lightly salted water to a bare simmer. With two wet spoons, shape the fish paste into about 24 small balls and drop them in. Poach gently, never boiling, 6–8 minutes, until they float, are firm and white all the way through, 145°F. Lift out with a slotted spoon.
- For the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and soften the shallot 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and paprika for 1 minute.
- Whisk the flour into the cold milk until smooth. Pour the fish stock and hummerfond into the pan, then whisk in the milk mixture and the cream, and simmer, whisking, 5 minutes, until smooth and thick enough to coat a spoon.
- Stir in the prawns and lemon juice, season with salt, then slide in the fish balls and warm through 2 minutes.
- Cook the peas 2–3 minutes. Serve the fiskbullar and sauce with the potatoes and peas, topped with dill.
Good to know
How do I get the kids involved?
Shaping the fish balls with two wet spoons, or with wet hands, is a great job for children over five. They don't need to be round; little dumplings of any shape cook the same.
My picky eater only likes the canned ones
Blend the paste extra long so it is completely smooth and springy, and keep the balls small. Sauce poured over a mound of mashed potato instead of boiled potatoes is the classic school-dinner way, and very hard to refuse.
Want real lobster?
For a festive version, use the same weight of cooked lobster meat (canned or frozen) instead of the prawns; it's about the same score. The hummerfond already gives the sauce its lobster flavour, so the prawns are the everyday choice.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 78
- Protein
- (39%)
- 7 g
- Fat
- (14%)
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- (47%)
- 10 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 154 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1777 kcal goes into the pot and 2413 g of ingredients comes out as about 2265 g of food: 78 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.