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Fried Salmon and Rice Balls with Cocktail Sauce

Fried Salmon and Rice Balls with Cocktail Sauce

Name: Fried Salmon and Rice Balls with Cocktail Sauce
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 3 cups cooked salmon, crumbled into small pieces; 1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese, cut into small pieces, about 1 cup; 1 ½ cups cooked white rice (Feel free to use leftovers!); 2 green onions, thinly sliced, about 2 tablespoons; juice from ½ lime, about 2 tablespoons; 1 large egg yolk; ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper; 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; 2 eggs, beaten with 2 tablespoons water; 2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs; oil for frying; ½ cup chili sauce; 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish; juice from ½ large lemon, about 2 tablespoons; flaky sea salt

Coastal Mains

Fried Salmon and Rice Balls with Cocktail Sauce

Print Recipe

The Strategy:

This recipe completely transforms leftover salmon and white rice into an outrageously decadent, wildly addictive coastal appetizer. By aggressively binding the flaked fish and starchy rice with heavy blocks of cream cheese and sharp lime juice, then heavily dredging the massive 1 ½-inch balls in seasoned breadcrumbs before deep-frying, you create a shattering exterior that gives way to a molten, rich center. Serving these piping hot, golden-brown spheres alongside a bracingly sharp, horseradish-heavy cocktail sauce provides a high-energy, sophisticated bite that demands to be passed around the patio.

Serves: a crowd | Total Time: 60 minutes till it’s ready

Ingredients

For the rice ball filling

3 cups cooked salmon, crumbled into small pieces
1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese, cut into small pieces, about 1 cup
1 ½ cups cooked white rice (Feel free to use leftovers!)
2 green onions, thinly sliced, about 2 tablespoons
juice from ½ lime, about 2 tablespoons
1 large egg yolk
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

For coating and frying

1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten with 2 tablespoons water
2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs
oil for frying

For sauce

½ cup chili sauce
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
juice from ½ large lemon, about 2 tablespoons
flaky sea salt

Ingredients arranged: a bowl of crumbled pink cooked salmon, fluffy white rice, blocks of rich cream cheese, bright green sliced scallions, vibrant green limes, fresh parsley, bowls of flour, beaten eggs, and seasoned breadcrumbs, alongside bright red chili sauce and prepared horseradish on a heavy marble prep board.

Instructions

Make the salmon balls

Add the salmon into a large bowl.
Add the cream cheese, rice, and onions.
Squeeze in the lime juice.
Add the egg yolk and parsley and season with salt and pepper.
Use clean hands to thoroughly combine.
Use an ice cream scoop to portion out 1 ½-inch balls.
Arrange on a platter or baking sheet and place into the fridge for a few minutes.

Coat and chill

Add the flour, egg wash, and breadcrumbs to three separate bowls.
Remove the platter from the fridge.
Take each ball and roll it first in flour, then in egg wash, and finally the crumbs.
Move the balls back to the platter and place the platter into the freezer for another 15 minutes.

Fry and serve

Heat oil in a deep Dutch oven or pot to 375°. (Only use enough oil to come up 1/3 the sides of the pot. The oil will bubble up as it heats and when you fry.)
Remove the balls from the freezer.
Fry in batches until they are golden and warmed through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the balls to a platter and keep warm.
Stir together the chili sauce, horseradish, and lemon juice in a small bowl.
Serve the fish balls with a sprinkle of flaky salt and fresh dill, and cocktail sauce on the side for dipping.

A cook's hand dunking a massive, intensely golden-brown, completely spherical fried salmon and rice ball into a heavy silver bowl filled with bright, fiery red horseradish cocktail sauce, thick sauce clinging to the shattering crispy crust.

The full recipe lives in the Vault

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The Heart of the Table

Dropping a massive platter of fiercely hot, perfectly spherical, golden-fried salmon and rice balls into the center of a gathering instantly commands attention. The extreme textural contrast—shattering, crunchy breadcrumbs yielding to a rich, molten cream-cheese interior—forces guests to abandon polite conversation, eagerly dunking the heavy bites into the sharp, fiery cocktail sauce while laughing and reaching for more.

8 guests gathered tightly around a patio table laughing loudly, passing platters, and drinking sweating gin and tonics in tall glasses on a Palm Beach Estate patio. A massive board of golden Fried Salmon and Rice Balls anchors the lively coastal cocktail party.

Neighborly Grace

THE PRESENTATION: Pile the deeply golden, perfectly spherical fried salmon balls into a massive, shallow ceramic bowl or a heavy slate platter. Shower them aggressively with flaky sea salt and vibrant sprigs of fresh dill, ensuring a heavy silver bowl overflowing with the bright red, horseradish-spiked cocktail sauce sits dead center for aggressive dipping.
THE POUR: The heavy, molten richness of the cream cheese and the intensely sharp bite of the horseradish cocktail sauce demand an icy, highly carbonated pour. A fiercely cold, bone-dry Prosecco or a massive, sweating pitcher of razor-sharp, heavily iced gin and tonics perfectly slices through the deep-fried richness.
THE VIBE: Energetic, sun-drenched cocktail hours. This is the heavy appetizer you execute as guests arrive directly from the beach, served immediately alongside sweating glasses of iced cocktails, demanding a loud, interactive, and wildly satisfying start to the evening.

Chef’s Recommendations

The Glass Alongside: Spicy Bloody Marie
Something Fresh Alongside: Garden Harvest Chef’s Salad
The Vegetables Beside It: Poached Zucchini & Roasted Tomatoes
The Sweet at the End: Summer Peach Pie

The Estate Table

Build tonight’s menu around this dish.

✦ Set the Table

Fried Salmon and Rice Balls with Cocktail Sauce

Fried Salmon and Rice Balls with Cocktail Sauce

The full recipe lives in the Vault

The Heart of the Table

Neighborly Grace

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