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Bitterballen: Favorite Dutch Meat Snack

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Dinner at home was served at the dining room table when we were all together! It was a great tradition that I treasure, now that I’m an adult. There were no cell phones, so no distractions; just the four of us talking about our day. However, every so often, we would be allowed to eat dinner at the coffee table, watching TV. Because it was such a rarity, we would love it! This was often when either my dad would go to one of the many local snack bars and bring home french fries, and delicious bitterballen or my mom would make it herself. The bitterballen were piping hot, with a deep golden brown exterior, filled with smooth gravy and tender meat. When I was older and went to college, I found out that bars and cafés offered these bitterballen as well! They were a fantastic snack to be enjoyed with a cold beer!

Bitterballen are great with some mustard, the sharp mustard helps cut the rich buttery flavor of the ragout on the inside. You can also eat these on a roll, just flatten them between the top and bottom of the bun, and add a little mustard.

My wife and I love these so much, we even served them at our wedding during cocktail hour!

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Bitterballen: Favorite Dutch Meat Snack

Bitterballen are a deep golden brown color, have a crispy outside, and are filled with tender meat in a smooth, hot gravy. Typically served with some mustard on the side, the Dutch rank them as one of their most favorite snack foods. You will see these on the menu in most bars and cafés, but they're also a favorite at the many local snack bars, where patrons enjoy these together with some deliciously crispy French fries.

Course Dinner, Lunch, Snack

Cuisine Dutch

Keyword Dutch Food, Fried, Snack

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings Bitterballen

Calories 994kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Bitterballen

½ Ragout
1 bunch Parsley
150 g Bread crumbs
2 Egg
1 tbsp Milk
1 tbsp Gelatin powder
2 l Grapeseed oil

Metric - US Customary

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Instructions

Making the bitterballen

Sprinkle the gelatin in 60ml (1/4 cup) of room temperature water and let it bloom for 10 minutes.
Next, finely chop the parsley. You’ll need enough to make a small handful. Since this is going to get mixed in with the meat, make sure the pieces are small, you don't want large pieces in the final product.
Put the ragout in a pot, over low heat. Stir in the finely chopped parsley, making sure it is fully combined. The goal is to make the mixture is between 48C - 60C (120 and 140F). Warm enough to melt the gelatin, but cool enough it retains its gelling power! Once the gelatin has bloomed for 10 minutes, mix it in, stirring constantly, until it's fully melted and incorporated. Again, it's important to not overheat the mixture.
Transfer the ragout to a shallow dish, and press plastic wrap directly on top of the ragout, this will prevent skin from forming. Put it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
In a shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, milk, and a pinch of salt
Put the breadcrumbs in another shallow dish
Once the ragout has cooled for 4 hours, take it out of the fridge. Using a spoon or ice cream scoop, form ping pong-sized balls. Make sure they are all uniform in size, so they cook evenly.
Next, you need to double bread the bitterballen, one at a time, following these steps: roll the ball in breadcrumbsroll the ball through the eggwashroll the ball through the breadcrumbs again.Repeat this for all the bitterballen, and put them on a cookie sheet in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Frying the bitterballen

Put your Dutch oven on the stove, and fill it with oil, making sure to not fill it more than halfway. As you add the bitterballen, the oil level will rise, and you don't want it to boil over. Heat your oil to 175C (350F). I use a Thermoworks Chef Alarm for frying. It has a clip that attaches to the pan, so the probe stays in the oil. This way I can monitor the temperature constantly. If you’re using a deep fryer, use the manufacturer’s recommended amount of oil.
When you're ready to fry the bitterballen, it's important to work in small batches, because you don't want to overcrowd the pan and lower the temperature of the oil too much. If the oil temperature drops too much, your bitterballen will end up being soggy and greasy. (Keeping the batches small will also reduce the risk of having the oil boil over the edge of the pot)Line a cookie sheet with a paper towel, and put a wire rack on top of it. This is where you will put the bitterballen after frying them, so any excess oil can drain off.Using a spider, carefully put a small number of bitterballen into the oil. Make sure they do not stick together. Cook them for approximately 3 minutes. Using the spider, take the bitterballen out when they are a deep golden brown. Let any hot oil drip off over your pot or fryer before placing it on the wire rack.If any clumps of bread crumbs are floating in your oil, remove them with a spoon and allow your oil to return to 175C (350F) before you continue frying.Repeat until you've fried all the bitterballen. Before serving, allow them to cool off for a few minutes because the inside will be very hot.

Plating

Back home, bitterballen are typical stacked on a plate with a side of yellow mustard. Toothpicks are commonly used to pick up a bitterbal, and dip them in the mustard.

Video

Nutrition

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View Comments

Luke J says:

April 22, 2024 at 9:35 pm

Have you tried "frying" these in an air-fryer? If so, any tips or recommendations?
- Toine says:
  
  April 23, 2024 at 10:50 am
  
  Yes, you can do it in the air fryer, but I would pop them in the freezer for a little bit before air frying them, to make sure they don't fall apart.
Kim Landeweer says:

October 26, 2024 at 12:07 pm

Great recipe. Nice videos
Renate says:

October 2, 2025 at 1:12 pm

Als je de bitterballen al gefrituurd invriest, hoe lang gaan ze dan in de oven om op te warmen en op welke temperatuur??
- Toine says:
  
  October 2, 2025 at 1:33 pm
  
  Als ze ontdooit zijn zo’n 10 minuten op 175° C