Pasta with Fish Meatballs

Pasta with fish meatballs is a dish that combines the tradition of meatballs, typically made from meat, with the flavors of the sea, a fusion much loved in Italy for its regional variations.

Ingredients

• 300 g of pasta, preferably short like orecchiette or trofie
• 400 g of white fish fillet (cod, sea bass or gilthead sea bream)
• 1 egg
• 50 g of breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
• 1 clove of garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Flour, for dusting the meatballs
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 250 g of cherry tomatoes
• 1 glass of dry white wine
• Fresh basil

Preparation

1. Start by preparing the fish meatballs: clean and finely chop the fish fillet. In a bowl, combine the chopped fish, egg, breadcrumbs, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix well until you have a homogeneous mixture.
2. Form small meatballs with the fish mixture, dust them lightly with flour to prevent sticking during cooking.
3. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan and brown the garlic. Remove the garlic when golden and add the fish meatballs, browning them on all sides, then deglaze with white wine and let it evaporate.
4. Add the cherry tomatoes cut in half and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper.
5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of salted water following the package instructions for an al dente texture.
6. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the meatballs and tomato sauce. Toss everything for a few minutes to blend the flavors.
7. Finish with fresh basil leaves and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil before serving.

Fun Fact

Did you know that fish meatballs are often served as an appetizer in many Italian coastal regions? They can also be proposed in a “baked” version for a lighter and healthier variant. The combination with pasta is more recent and represents Italian creativity in the kitchen, always ready to reinvent and experiment with new flavor combinations.