These delicious tasty treats make an ideal starter or they can be served on a bed of greens as a delicious meal. For this recipe I have made these with mackerel as  it is so high in essential fatty acids and is such a good value option.

You will need to remove the little bones beforehand which can be a bit fiddly, but it is well worth it (your fishmonger may be able to help you with pin boning). Other firm fleshed white fish will work as well if mackerel is unavailable.

The other interesting ingredient is Daikon radish. This is a mildly bitter radish and is readily available in Asian supermarkets and most green grocers. I have included an image so you know what to look for.

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Ingredients

4 x 250g mackerel, filleted, pin-boned
300g firm tofu
1 egg, beaten
2 tbs red or white miso
4cm-piece ginger, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 (140g) carrot, finely diced
1/3 daikon (Japanese white radish), finely grated
1/4 cup (60ml) soy sauce
1 tbs lemon juice
2 green onions, finely chopped, plus extra to serve
Extra virgin olive oil

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Method

Using a small spoon, scoop mackerel flesh from skin, then chop to a fine mince. Wrap tofu in paper towel, place on a plate and weight with a second plate for 10 minutes. Using a fork, mash tofu in a bowl. Combine with mackerel.

Combine: egg, miso, sake in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add miso mixture, ginger, onion and carrot to tofu mixture and combine.

Squeeze excess moisture from grated daikon. Shape into small balls and set aside. Combine soy sauce, lemon juice and green onions in dipping bowls.

Add enough oil to wok or large saucepan to reach 1/3 of the way up the side of the pan. Heat over medium heat to 180°C. Using your hands, form tablespoonfuls of mackerel mixture into balls. Deep-fry 4-5 balls at a time until golden. Drain on paper towel. Serve scattered with green onion, with daikon and bowls of dipping sauce.