Fish Paste

Fish paste is at the base of innumerable classic dishes–Fish Balls, Fish Cakes, Fish Roll, even substituting for shrimp paste in Shrimp Toast. Some Chinese fish stores sell it ready-made, but it tends to be salty and contains monosodium glutamate. We use a small amount of fat in the paste, which makes an enormous difference in richness and flavor. You’ll find that a food processor is a tremendous help.