German Fish Balls with Green Sauce

By JimMac

Ingredients

• Serves 4.
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• FISH MEATBALLS
• 1 pound ground fish
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 6 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh dill
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
• GREEN SAUCE
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 large shallot, minced (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 cup fish stock or chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons minced spinach, amaranth or lamb’s quarters
• 1/4 cup chopped sorrel (optional)
• 1/4 cup minced parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped dill
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic chives or regular chives
• 1 sage leaf, minced
• Salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
• __________

Details

Adapted from tasteofhome.com

Preparation

Step 1

To make the meatballs, simply mix all the ingredients in a bowl and form into small meatballs, about the size of a walnut. To cook, bring a large pot of salty water to a boil and gently lower the fish balls one at a time into the water. They will sink. Turn the heat down to a bare simmer — if you let it boil again, it can destroy your fish balls. Simmer gently until the meatballs float. Look for a total cooking time of about 10 minutes or so.
Remove the fish balls from the hot water and set aside.
While you are heating up the poaching water, make the green sauce. Heat the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the shallot and saute until it’s translucent and soft, about 3 minutes or so. Don’t let them brown. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Boil hard for a few minutes until the sauce reduces by about one-third.
Turn the heat as low as it will go and stir in all the herbs. Let them all wilt. Add salt and black pepper to taste and turn the heat off.
When all the fish balls are ready, turn the heat back onto the sauce to warm it, and coat the fish balls with the sauce. When the sauce boils again, turn off the heat, let the bubbling subside and add the sour cream, stirring constantly. Adjust for salt and black pepper once more and serve at once.