Pork Meatballs With Ginger and Fish Sauce

By Kay Chun

Updated July 27, 2020

Pork Meatballs With Ginger and Fish Sauce
Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(5,228)
Comments
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These nuoc cham-inspired meatballs are perfect to fill lettuce cups topped with fresh basil or cilantro. (Add steamed rice for a more substantial meal.) The Ritz crackers here make for a juicier meatball, but feel free to substitute plain dry bread crumbs. To make the Ritz crumbs, place the crackers in a resealable plastic bag and lightly crush them with the back of a wooden spoon or measuring cup. For an easy dipping sauce, spike ¼ cup mayonnaise with 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil or soy sauce. And save any leftover meatballs: They're great simmered in chicken broth the next day. The ginger and garlic in them release their aromatics into the broth for a deeply flavorful soup base.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2tablespoons peeled and minced ginger
  • 1tablespoon minced garlic (from about 3 large cloves)
  • 1tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ½teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½cup finely crushed Ritz crackers (12 crackers)
  • 1pound ground pork
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

356 calories; 26 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 20 grams protein; 505 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and use your hands to gently mix.

  2. Step 2

    Shape the meat into 12 golf-ball-size rounds (about 2 inches in diameter) and arrange on a greased rimmed baking sheet.

  3. Step 3

    Bake until golden and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Tip
  • Leftover meatballs freeze well and can be reheated in the oven at 375 degrees until warmed through (about 20 minutes).

Ratings

5 out of 5
5,228 user ratings
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Comments

Cameron

Absolutely delicious, but the meatballs need to be cooked a bit longer than the recipe prescribes. At 15 minutes, they were still raw in the center. I let them back for closer to 25, which resulted in perfectly cooked, juicy meatballs with a nice caramelized outer layer. Served over brown rice dressed with nuac cham and chopped cilantro.

CFXK

It seems that whenever there is a recipe calling for ground meat, the question is asked: can substitute ground turkey?. Of course you can. It's your meal. But keep a few things in mind: Fat content: this affects flavor and texture. Use ground turkey with higher fat content (not the super lean), and/or supplement with another fat. Doneness: ground turkey is unforgiving if cooked too long; loses taste and crumbles. Keep an eye on it. Flavor: turkey is bland. Amp up the herbs and spices

Did a kind of Nuoc Cham sauce with it instead of the mayo sauce. To taste: rice vinegar, sugar, splash of rooster sauce, splash of lime juice, thin sliced red chilis and grated ginger. Great with the lettuce cups!

Did a kind of Nuoc Cham sauce with it instead of the mayo sauce. To taste: rice vinegar, sugar, splash of rooster sauce, splash of lime juice, thin sliced red chilis and grated ginger. Great with the lettuce cups!

AM

Very good! Made 13 meatballs. More like png pong balls and cooked in 15 minutes. Very tasty! We ate with jasmine rice and Bibb lettuce as wraps and sliced cucumbers and cilantro. Also made the delicious mayo sauce.

HavanaGeo

Served with rice vermicelli, sliced cucumber, grated carrot, mint and butter lettuce with Nuoc Cham, very nearly restaurant quality. Only thing lacking was that burnt sugar grilled pork taste you get in a good restaurant. Next time, will try to coat the outside lightly with brown sugar or something similar and broil to imitate.

Michael M.

Terrific! I added some lime zest to the meatballs, and that made them really come to life. Had them with coconut rice with a little more lime zest. and with some cilantro garnish the meal was great. And, I have three more meals in the freezer.

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