Name: Soft Fish Polpettine
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 13 min
Total time: 38 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 150g skinless, boneless white fish such as cod or sole (avoid high-mercury species - see Safety notes); 1 small potato, cooked and mashed (about 100g mashed); A few sprigs fresh parsley, finely chopped; A squeeze of lemon juice (optional); 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for cooking

Ingredients

150g skinless, boneless white fish such as cod or sole (avoid high-mercury species - see Safety notes)
1 small potato, cooked and mashed (about 100g mashed)
A few sprigs fresh parsley, finely chopped
A squeeze of lemon juice (optional)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for cooking

Method

Safety first: these are shaped as soft, flattened patties, never rolled into round balls. Round shapes are a listed choking hazard for babies.

Steam or poach the fish for 5-6 minutes until it flakes easily. Check thoroughly for bones by running your fingers through the flesh, then flake it finely with a fork.
Mix the flaked fish with the mashed potato, parsley and a squeeze of lemon until well combined and soft.
With damp hands, shape the mixture into small flat patties about 1.5cm thick - flattened discs, not rounded balls.
Warm the EVOO in a non-stick pan over medium-low heat and cook the patties for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden and heated through, pressing gently to keep them flat.
Let cool slightly, then break each patty into smaller irregular pieces before serving, checking every piece mashes easily between your fingers.

Age adaptations

6-8 months

Skip the shaping: instead of forming patties, blend the cooked fish and mashed potato together until completely smooth, loosening with a little cooking liquid or the baby's usual milk to reach a spoonable cream. Check the flesh for bones again after blending. Served this way it is a simple first fish cream.

9-12 months

Serve the flattened, broken patty pieces as above - soft enough to squash flat between your finger and thumb, small enough to fit in a fist.

12+ months

Shape slightly larger patties and let your toddler pick them up and bite pieces off themselves, still checking they stay soft rather than developing a firm crust.

Storage

Fridge for up to 1 day - fish is more perishable than other ingredients here. Open-freeze cooked patties on a tray, then bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost fully in the fridge and reheat until piping hot throughout, then cool before checking texture and serving.

For the family

Make a larger batch of the same mixture, shape the family's portion into normal-sized fishcakes, and pan-fry with salt and pepper added to that portion only - keep baby's patties separate and unsalted throughout.

Safety notes

Polpette (meatballs/fishballs) are explicitly named as a ROUND-shape choking hazard in Table 1 of the ministry guidance: "Round foods (grapes, cherries, olives, mini mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, meatballs): cut to ~5 mm pieces; remove seeds/pits." This recipe never forms a round ball at any stage. Instead the mixture is shaped into flattened patties, cooked soft, and then broken into small, irregular pieces before serving - each piece must be soft enough to mash between two fingers, not a firm, bouncy meatball texture. Fish is prepared per Table 1's meat/fish rule: "cook soft, small pieces; remove bones, gristle, fish bones." All bones are checked for by hand before cooking. Large predator species (shark, swordfish, blue shark, pike, smooth-hound, spiny dogfish and large tuna, per the CNSA 2025 limit list) are avoided; cod or sole are used instead, and species should be varied over time.

Soft Fish Polpettine