Italian Tuna Balls
- 12 balls
- A little work
These little balls contain tinned tuna blended with Italian ricotta cheese, basil and lemon zest and can be baked in the oven or fried in a grill pan

- 200g can tuna in olive oil, drained
- 115g 4oz fresh breadcrumbs
- 85g 3oz ricotta cheese
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1tbsp fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
- 1 egg
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Flour for dusting
Quick tartare sauce
- 6 medium gherkins, finely chopped
- 225g (8oz) crème fraîche
- 2tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 2tbsp chopped fresh dill
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Method
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Step 1
Tip the tuna in a bowl and mash with the ricotta cheese, lemon zest, basil and the egg. Season with a little black pepper.
-
Step 2
Using floured hands take spoonfuls of the mixture and roll into walnut sized balls.
-
Step 3
Heat a little olive oil in a pan and fry the balls in batches over a medium heat for 6-8 minutes until golden and crisp. Alternatively these can be baked in the oven at 190C, gas mark 5 until golden
-
Step 4
To make the tartare sauce simply mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
-
Step 5
Serve the fish balls with the tartare sauce
- Make them gluten free by using gluten free breadcrumbs
- Nut-Free, Seed Free, Soy-Free, Sugar-Free
- The fish balls can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.
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