Spinach and Fish Ball Soup

Many Hakkas remember their grandmothers or mothers patiently using a spoon to scrape every fiber of flesh from fish bones to make fish paste, which was used in many ways. Certain fish—such as Spanish mackerel, wolf herring, or bonefish—were used to create the preferred springy texture. The flesh was chopped and beaten, and salt water was gradually added until the mixture held together. Then the fish was thrown against a chopping block or the sides of a bowl to develop the characteristic bou