Kid-Friendly Fish Balls Recipe: A Quick Meal That Everyone Agrees On!

When dealing with children who only seem to crave fries or carbonara pasta, diversifying their diet can be a challenge. Lou Elsener, known as @Louloukitchen online, understands this struggle well. As a mother of a young boy who likely prefers sausage and mashed potatoes over a piece of white fish, she has discovered a miraculous recipe. “They’re fish keftas, and they’re what got my son to start enjoying fish,” she shares at the beginning of her video. This quick and tasty recipe is perfect for someone juggling roles as both a video creator and a full-time mom.

“I use cod, but it also works with other kinds of fish,” she notes. Viewers have responded positively: “I just made them with frozen haddock and it turned out great!”, “They’re also very good with sardines,” are some of the comments found under her video. The recipe even stirs nostalgia in some: “when my family made this in Morocco I was so happy”, “it reminds me of my childhood… my mom used to make sardine fish kefta.” Clearly, this recipe is a favorite with children!

Preparing the fish kefta balls is quite straightforward. Lou Elsener starts by blending 300 grams of cod with an egg yolk. “You don’t want it to turn into a puree: you still want some texture,” she explains. After finely chopping a red onion, two sprigs of mint, two of parsley, and a stalk of green onion, she adds them to the mix. All that’s left is to season with a bit of turmeric, cumin, a tablespoon of flour, and another of breadcrumbs. “I put a little oil on my hands and form the mixture into balls, which I then fry in a little olive oil in a pan,” she details.

For even cooking, make sure to turn them over halfway through. Just drain them on paper towels and they’re ready to serve!

As a side, Lou Elsener prepares a sauce using cream cheese, mint, and lime. But if your little one asks for ketchup, perhaps it’s okay to make that small compromise. After all, they are finally eating fish!