My maternal grandmother fried tons of these meatballs every summer, which were then eaten voraciously by all her children, especially by the youngest.
My mother did not love this dish too much because she never made it. However, it remains in effect a memory of family and my childhood.
Grandma Irene's tuna meatballs
- Preparation time: 60 minutes
- Ingredients for 15-16 meatballs
- Difficulty: Easy recipe
- Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 150 gr or 5 oz tuna in oil
- 1 large boiled potato
- Grated peel of ½ lemon
- Salt and pepper to paste
- Chopped parsley to taste
- For breading:
- Flour to taste
- 1 egg
- Breadcrumbs to taste
- Peanut oil for frying to taste
- Instructions
- Drain the tuna well from the oil in the tin and chop it roughly.
- Peel the potato and mash at least twice to remove any lumps.
- Put the tuna in a bowl and add the pureed potato. Mix well. Add the egg, the chopped parsley, and the grated lemon peel to the mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
- Form meatballs.
- In the meantime, prepare as needed for the breading. In a dish beat the egg with freshly ground pepper. Place the breadcrumbs in another dish and the flour in a third.
- Flour the meatballs and pass them first through the beaten egg and then the breadcrumbs.
- Put the oil in a pan and bring it to a temperature of 325°F.
- Dip a few meatballs in the oil at a time and fry them until golden brown.
- Drain the meatballs on absorbent paper. Salt if necessary and serve.
Tips to ensure the success of the dish:
- Place only a few meatballs in the boiling oil at a time so as not to lower the oil temperature too much.
- Always use a thermometer to measure the oil temperature. It is an inexpensive tool, but it is useful for preventing the smoke point from overflowing with oil.
