Jamie Oliver Mango Chutney Fish Balls

Jamie Oliver’s mango chutney fish balls are blitzed white fish, rice and creamed coconut, rolled, fried until golden and tossed in mango chutney, served on lime-dressed cucumber. They take 20 minutes and serve 4.

In Simply Jamie (2024) this is fast family food, and the mango chutney isn’t a dip. You loosen it and toss the hot fried balls through it, so they come out shiny and sticky. Cool, sharp cucumber underneath is the whole contrast Jamie’s after.

The clever part is the binder. There’s no breadcrumb coating here, which keeps it gluten-free. Cooked rice, egg and a block of creamed coconut are blitzed with the fish, and that mix is what holds the balls together and firms them as they fr

Jamie Oliver Mango Chutney Fish Balls

Recipe by Pinch Perfect

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: Dinner, LunchCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Calories

279

kcal

Total time

20

minutes

Jamie’s 20-minute fish balls from Simply Jamie: white fish blitzed with rice and coconut, fried golden, glazed in mango chutney and served on cool lime cucumber. Gluten-free, serves four.

Ingredients

• 8cm piece of ginger (50g)

• 250g (9 oz) white fish fillets, skin off, pin-boned, from sustainable sources

• 1 x 250g packet of cooked basmati rice

• 50g (1¾ oz) creamed coconut

• 1 heaped teaspoon English mustard

• 1 free-range egg

• 1 lime

• 1 bunch of coriander (30g)

• vegetable oil, for frying

• 2 heaped tablespoons mango chutney

• 1 cucumber

• optional: 1 fresh red chilli

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Directions

• Blitz the mix:Peel and roughly chop the ginger, then put it in a food processor with the fish, rice, creamed coconut and mustard. Crack in the egg, add a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, finely grate in the lime zest, and tear in most of the coriander, keeping a few leaves back. Pulse until combined.
• Shape and fry:Divide the mixture into 16 equal pieces and shape into balls with wet hands. Pour 1cm of vegetable oil into a large sturdy pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, fry the balls for 8 to 10 minutes, turning regularly, until golden all over and cooked through. Work in batches if needed.
• Glaze:In a large bowl, loosen the mango chutney with a splash of water. Toss the hot fish balls through it with a slotted spoon to coat as they come out of the pan.
• Serve:Finely slice the cucumber and dress it with the lime juice. Serve the fish balls on top, scattered with the reserved coriander and some finely sliced chilli, if you like.

Notes

• Note (air fryer): Toss the fish balls in a little oil and cook in a single layer at 200°C, in batches if needed, for 12 minutes until golden and cooked through, shaking halfway.

FAQs

What holds the fish balls together without breadcrumbs?

The cooked rice, egg and creamed coconut do all the work. The rice gives structure, the egg binds, and the coconut adds richness while helping the mix firm up as it cooks. Blitzed with the fish, they form a mixture that rolls and fries without any coating.

That’s also why the dish is naturally gluten-free, since there’s no flour or breadcrumb crust. If your mix feels too wet to shape, a few minutes in the fridge firms it up. Wet hands stop it sticking to you while you roll.

Why pulse the mixture instead of blending it smooth?

Over-processing is the main way these go wrong. Blitzing too far works the fish protein hard and turns the balls dense and rubbery. You want to pulse just until everything comes together, keeping a bit of texture in the fish.

Stop the moment it holds when pressed. A mix with some bite to it fries up lighter and tastes more of fish than paste. Then divide it into 16 evenly, so they cook at the same rate.

What fish works best?

Firm white fish is ideal: cod, haddock, pollock or coley, skinless and pin-boned, from a sustainable source. It’s mild enough to let the ginger, lime and coconut come through. Oily fish like salmon or mackerel would overpower those delicate flavours.

Frozen white fish is fine and often cheaper. Thaw it fully and pat it dry first, so you’re not adding extra water to the mix, which would loosen it. If yours is watery, a little more rice tightens things up. Jamie’s zesty salmon tacos are another quick fish option for a different night.

What is creamed coconut, and can I swap it?

Creamed coconut is a solid block of pure coconut flesh, sold in the world food aisle, not the same as tinned coconut milk or cream. It’s firm and rich, which is exactly why it binds the mix and adds body rather than making it wet.

If you can only find tinned coconut cream, the mixture will be looser, so add a little more cooked rice to firm it, or chill it before shaping. Desiccated coconut, soaked briefly in a splash of warm water, is another stand-in at a push.

Why toss them in mango chutney at the end?

Glazing rather than dipping is what makes them “shiny hot balls”, as Jamie puts it. Tossing the just-fried balls in loosened chutney coats every one in a sticky, sweet layer, so the flavour is on every bite instead of pooled on the side.

Loosen the chutney with a splash of water first, so it coats evenly instead of clumping. Do it while the balls are hot, straight from the pan, because the glaze clings and sets best on hot fish. Chop any big mango pieces so it spreads smoothly.

What do I serve them with?

The lime-dressed cucumber isn’t a garnish, it’s the point. Cool, sharp and crunchy, it cuts through the rich, sweet fish balls, and the coriander and optional chilli lift it further. Serve them straight on top so the cucumber catches the juices.

They make a great starter or light lunch, or a main with rice or flatbreads. For a spiced side to build a fuller plate, harissa butter beans suit the warm flavours here. You’ll find more on the Jamie Oliver recipes page.