Mackerel Meatballs

Every Christmas season, the hubby gets a Christmas basket (or in last year's case, a Christmas Megabox) from the office. It included a big can of local mackerel. I usually just saute it with some vegetables but I wanted to make something different this time so I made them into meatballs. Read on if you want to try it.

You need

a big can of mackerel

egg

chopped onions

chopped garlic

olive oil

tomato sauce

canned crushed tomatoes

green bell pepper

red bell pepper

cornstarch

parmesan cheese

sugar

Italian seasoning

chili powder

salt and pepper

parsley

Let's do this!

Empty the mackerel into a bowl. Set aside about 1/4 cup of the juice. As for the other 3/4, you can use it to flavor your gisa (sauteed) dishes.

I removed the cooked bones and other yucky things (local canned seafood are not very clean) I could find. Then I mashed the meat with my hand. Add the salt, pepper and chili powder. Add the Parmesan cheese.

Add the egg and about a tablespoon each of onions, garlic and bell peppers. Combine all the ingredients and form into meatballs. 

Heat some oil in a pan. Brown the meatballs on all sides. Be gentle as the meatballs are soft and moist. I added some cornstarch before forming them into balls to make the process easier. Remove from the pan and set aside. 

Into the same pan, add the remaining onions, garlic and bell peppers. Cook until soft. Add more salt, pepper and chili as desired. Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce and the juice from the can. Add the Italian seasoning. Add some sugar to cut the acidity. My family doesn't like marinara sauces to be too sour so I put sugar just enough to get rid of that terrible tang. Bring this to a boil and then lower heat to simmer. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the chopped parsley and the meatballs. Let this cook again for another 5 minutes. I served this with rice.