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Balchi di Piska (Curaçao Fish Balls)

Small balls of poached white fish ground with onion, sweet pepper, celery, scallion and hot pepper, spiced with nutmeg and cumin, fried golden and served with a tangy tomato sous krioyo.
Curaçaoan · medium · serves 6
prep 40 min · cook 45 min
~304 cal · 19g protein · 18g carbs · 17g fat · 3g fiber · 7g sugars · 4g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Golden fried fish balls on a plate with a small bowl of red tomato Creole sauce and lime wedges
AI-generated illustration
Balchi di piska, fish balls in Papiamentu, are a favourite of Curaçao and its sister island Aruba. They are served as an appetizer, made by the trayful for parties and, in many Curaçaoan homes, for Christmas Eve; with funchi and fried on the side they also make a meal.
Any firm fish will do, fresh wahoo, mackerel or snapper, or salted cod (bakijow). The fish is cleaned with lime and salt, poached, and then ground with onion, sweet pepper, celery, green onion and a little hot pepper. Nutmeg, a taste of the islands' old spice trade, cumin and garlic season it, and breadcrumbs and egg bind it into a soft mixture rolled into bite-sized balls and fried.
They are good on their own with a squeeze of lime, but on Curaçao they are often served with sous krioyo, the islands' Creole sauce of onion, tomato, sweet pepper and garlic cooked with tomato paste, a splash of vinegar and some of the fish broth.
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Make it yours

✓ Naturally nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.

Ingredients

Serves 6
  • 450 g (1 lb) firm white fish fillets (such as wahoo, mackerel or snapper)
    Hard to find? salted cod (bakijow), soaked for 24 hours in several changes of water - the other traditional choice; add no salt until you have tasted the mixture
  • 1 lime, juice for cleaning the fish, wedges to serve
  • 4 cups (1 l) water (for poaching)
  • 1 fish cube
  • 1 tbsp butter (for poaching)
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 green sweet pepper, roughly chopped
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 2 green onions ()
  • 1/2 hot chili pepper (such as Madame Jeanette or ), seeded
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • to taste salt and black pepper
  • 5 tbsp plain dry breadcrumbs, plus a little more if the mixture is too soft
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup vegetable oil, for shallow frying
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped (for the sauce)
  • 1 large tomato, chopped (for the sauce)
  • 1/2 green sweet pepper, chopped (for the sauce)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced (for the sauce)
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar
  • 1 tsp Maggi seasoning or soy sauce

Instructions

  • 1
    Rub the fish with the juice of half the lime and a little salt, rinse it and cut it into chunks.
  • 2
    Bring the water to the boil with the stock cube and butter, add the fish and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until it flakes. Lift out the fish, keep 1/2 cup of the broth for the sauce, and let the fish cool. Remove any skin and bones.
  • 3
    Put the roughly chopped onion, sweet pepper, celery, green onions and hot pepper in a food processor and pulse until fine, then add the fish and pulse again until finely ground.
  • 4
    Tip the mixture into a bowl and mix in the nutmeg, garlic powder, cumin, breadcrumbs and eggs. Season with salt and pepper. If it is too soft to hold a shape, work in a little more breadcrumb.
  • 5
    With wet hands, roll the mixture into balls about 3 cm across. You should get about 30.
  • 6
    Heat the oil in a frying pan to a depth of about 1.5 cm over medium heat. Fry the balls in batches for 4 to 5 minutes, turning, until golden brown all over. Drain on paper.
  • 7
    Make the sous krioyo: pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the oil and cook the finely chopped onion, tomato, sweet pepper and garlic for 5 minutes until soft. Stir in the tomato paste, the reserved fish broth, the vinegar and the Maggi, and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve the fish balls hot with the sauce and lime wedges.
Curaçaoan tradition (also Aruba).

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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination

📍
Willemstad. The account of keshi yena's origin is that enslaved people in the Dutch West Indies filled the discarded rinds of Gouda and Edam with meat scraps, and keshi is simply Papiamento for the Dutch kaas. Aruba makes it as much as Curacao does, so it is shared rather than local to this harbour.
🗺️
Curaçao. The origin account for keshi yena is that enslaved people filled the emptied rinds of Gouda or Edam with meat, raisins, olives and capers, and keshi is simply Papiamento for the Dutch kaas. It belongs to Aruba as much as to Curacao, and modern cooks bake it in ramekins as often as in a cheese shell.
🌍
North America. North America's table began with Indigenous foodways, the "three sisters" of corn, beans, and squash, plus chiles, tomatoes, and cacao, then layered on colonial, African, and immigrant influences. From Mexico's UNESCO-recognized cuisine to the Cajun and Creole pots of Louisiana and the fiery jerk of the Caribbean, the region turns ancient staples into something new. Barbecue, tacos, gumbo, and mole all carry stories of migration and adaptation.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.

More from Curaçao

Keshi YenaA shell of Edam or Gouda cheese stuffed with spiced chicken, olives, capers, and raisins, then baked until molten.
Arepa di PampunaSweet Curaçaoan pumpkin pancakes, spiced with cinnamon and anise and fried until lacy-edged, a Dutch-Caribbean morning treat.
KadushiA thick, green cactus soup with salted fish and okra, a truly local Curaçaoan dish born of the arid island.
Browse all Curaçao recipes →

Good to know

You’ll need: Skillet or frying pan, Food processor.
Storing it: Fried food is best eaten fresh while crisp. Re-crisp leftovers in a hot oven or air fryer; the microwave makes them soft.

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Frequently asked questions

What is Balchi di Piska (Curaçao Fish Balls)?

Small balls of poached white fish ground with onion, sweet pepper, celery, scallion and hot pepper, spiced with nutmeg and cumin, fried golden and served with a tangy tomato sous krioyo.

Where does Balchi di Piska (Curaçao Fish Balls) come from?

Balchi di Piska (Curaçao Fish Balls) is a Curaçaoan dish from Willemstad, Curaçao.

Can Balchi di Piska (Curaçao Fish Balls) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

This Balchi di Piska (Curaçao Fish Balls) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.

Is Balchi di Piska (Curaçao Fish Balls) safe for people with food allergies?

Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.

How long does Balchi di Piska (Curaçao Fish Balls) take to make?

About 85 minutes total (40 minutes prep, 45 minutes cooking), serving 6.

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