Receta Mini Tuna Meatballs (Polpette di Tonno): an easy and tasty finger food
New Year’s Eve is around the corner so, if you’re planning on doing a seafood-based party, why not making these delicious little tuna meatballs?
They are perfect as a starter or as a finger food just as is, but you can dip them in mayonnaise or any delicate sauce you like.
You can eat them also as a second course with some fresh vegetables on the side, like a crispy salad.
These meatballs are easy to make and require ingredients that everybody have at home… well maybe ricotta is not always in your fridge if you don’t live in Italy but you can substitute it with a good quality cottage cheese well-drained and finely ground or sifted (not the reduced-fat version), although ricotta would leave a lighter and better taste so use this one if you can easily find it in grocery stores.
Years ago I tried recipes found online that didn’t satisfy me at all, so I made some adjustment to make them perfect (in my opinion, of course).
Mini Tuna Meatballs – Polpette di tonno (pron. paul-pet-teh D ton-no)
Difficulty: easy
Preparation: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutesYield: 3-4 servings
Ingredients:
- 7 oz. / 200 gr. good quality tuna canned in olive oil, drained
- 7 oz. / 200 gr. ricotta (or cottage cheese, drained and sifted)
- 1 tbsp white onion, chopped fine
- 2 tbsp parsley, chopped fine
- 2 tbsp vinegar-brined capers, well-drained (if you have salt-packed capers soak them in cool water for about 15 minutes rinsing them in several changes of water or they will be too salty)
- 2 oz. / 60 gr. Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, finely grated
- 3 oz. / 80 gr. bread crumbs, extra finely grated (plus extra for rolling meatballs)
- 2 medium eggs
- salt to taste
Instructions:
Take a bowl and add tuna (well-drained and roughly chopped), ricotta (or cottage cheese as specified above), onion, parsley, chopped capers, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and bread crumbs. Mix them well, adjust with salt to taste and then you can add eggs.
I suggest you to mix them with a fork or with your hands and avoid electric appliances to preserve the “little crumbly” texture (if you do this with an electric mixer the tuna meatballs could be too tough after cooking).
The dough should look like the picture above, soft but not too sticky (if it is, add more bread crumbs).
Make little balls (from 1 to 1 1/2 inches – 2,5 cm to 4 cm ø) and:
roll them in some fine bread crumbs for a quicker way (like I did);
-OR-
roll them in some flour, dip them into a beaten egg and roll them again in some fine bread crumbs (this will give a crispier and firm crust to the meatballs – this is recommended).
Put the meatballs over a plate and heat oil in a deep-frying pan (if you like you can put them in a plastic bag, then in the freezer and cook when you want – after that remember to cook them frozen).
Deep-fry the “polpette” at about 320-335°F / 160-170°C until golden brown.
Remove from the frying pan and put them on a paper towel to drain any excess oil.
I suggest you to serve in a glass/crystal ball or thread them onto little skewers (3 meatballs per skewer) and place on a fancy plate if you need them for a party.
They’re good both warm and at room temperature.
You can cook them in the oven for a light dinner (400°F / 200°C / gas mark 6) for about 15-20 minutes, but they will be not so good-looking as the fried ones.
Remember… “home-made strikes back!“