Hot dinner: wasabi and salmon balls

Jez Felwick runs a grass covered street food van called The Bowler, from which he sells gourmet meatballs, fish balls and veg balls at markets and events in London. Here is the third of five featured recipes from his new book The Bowler's Meatball Cookbook (£16.99, Mitchell Beazley, out now).

WASABI SALMON AND SESAME SEED BALLS

Serves 4–6; preparation time 30 minutes, plus freezing; cooking time 20 minutes

Wasabi is a Japanese root, from the same family as horseradish. When I first saw it I was surprised to find that it isn’t green, as the dye in many shop-bought varieties may lead you to believe. I love the hit you get from having slightly too much wasabi; when it connects with the roof of your mouth – eye watering, brain tingling, nasal passage-cleansingly great. I have increased my tolerance over time, taking the pain along the way. I love it with salmon, so I had to use it in this recipe. Be careful not to overcook the salmon otherwise it will dry out.

Ingredients:

500g skinless salmon fillet

1 medium free-range egg

3 spring onions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon chopped pickled ginger

1 teaspoon wasabi powder

2 tablespoons chopped coriander

1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari

100g breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons black sesame seeds, toasted

3 tablespoons white sesame seeds, toasted

Preheat the oven to 220ºC (425ºF), Gas Mark 7 and line a large baking tray with non-stick baking parchment.

Cut the salmon into 2cm cubes and place in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Once chilled, pulse in a food processor. Don’t over-process, as you want to retain some pieces of fish for texture.

Beat the egg in a large mixing bowl. Add the spring onions, pickled ginger, wasabi powder, coriander, lemon juice, soy sauce, breadcrumbs, salt and a sprinkling of pepper.

Heat a small frying pan over a high heat. Break off a small amount of the mixture, flatten between your fingers and fry until cooked. Taste to check the seasoning and add more lemon, ginger or wasabi powder if necessary.

Mix the two types of sesame seeds together and spread out on a plate. Form the salmon mixture into 12–16 balls each about 5cm in diameter, packing each one firmly. Roll the balls in the sesame seed mix and place them on the prepared baking tray.

Bake for 10 minutes, turning the tray halfway through – the balls should begin to brown on the top. Keep an eye on them to make sure that they don’t get burnt underneath.

Serve with citrus ponzu dipping sauce.

Find Jez Felwick on Twitter @TheBowlerUK, or online at thebowleruk.tumblr.com.