Fish balls are made from minced carp, shark or freshwater fish, added with sweet potato flour (starch) and stirred evenly, and then stuffed with lean pork or shrimp, sturgeon meat, etc. to make pellet-shaped food. It is one of the snacks with rich local characteristics in Fuzhou.

The origin of fish balls is said to be related to Qin Shihuang. This impetuous "Eternal Emperor" liked to eat fish, but hated fish bones so much that several chefs died for it. Once, it was the turn of a famous chef to cook for Qin Shihuang. After he washed the fish, he thought that his fortune was uncertain and his family and life were all tied to this fish. He couldn't help but get angry and smashed the fish with the back of his knife. , the fish was smashed and the fish bones were exposed. At this time, the eunuch came to pass the meal. He was so anxious that he picked out the fish bones, smashed the fish meat into mud and poured it into balls in the soup. After Qin Shihuang ate the meatballs, he was very happy and gave it an unusual name: "Huangtong Wujiang Phoenix Pearl Jiu". Later, fish balls spread from the palace to the people.

There is also a legend in Fuzhou: In ancient times, there was a fisherman on the banks of the Minjiang River. One day, a businessman took his boat south to do business. The boat left the mouth of the Minjiang River and entered the sea, where it was hit by a typhoon. When the ship entered the harbor to take shelter from the wind, it unfortunately ran aground and was damaged. Repairing the ship was delayed and the food supply ran out, so they had to eat fish every day. The businessman sighed: "There are fish every day, and I am tired of eating them. Can you change the taste to something else?" The boatwoman said: "The food on the boat has been exhausted, and there is only a bag of potato starch." The ingenious boatwoman took the freshly caught fish and When you get a big eel, peel off the skin and remove the spine, chop the fish into fine pieces, apply potato starch on it, make it into balls, and cook it to taste the unique flavor. Afterwards, the businessman returned to Fuzhou and opened a "Seven Star Snack Shop" in the city. He specially hired the boat woman as a chef to exclusively sell "fish ball soup". In the beginning, business was not booming. One day, a scholar who was going to Beijing to take the exam passed by this restaurant for a meal. The shop owner gave warm hospitality and brought out fish balls. After eating the food, he found it very delicious, so he wrote a poem: "The sky is dotted with stars, and the sweet fragrance of jade dew attracts tourists. Although there is a drink for thousands of years in southern Xinjiang, it is rare for the seven stars to refresh the poetic spleen." The shopkeeper hung the poem in the shop, and guests came to taste it. From then on, the business prospered and the shop prospered day by day. "Seven-star fish balls" also got its name from then on.

According to industry insiders, Fuzhou fish balls have a history of more than 100 years. Fuzhou fish balls are stuffed meatballs with fish skin. The ingredients are carefully selected and the production is exquisite. The skin is thin and even, the color is white and bright, the food is smooth and crisp, and the soup is meaty and not greasy. "No dinner is complete without fish balls." From this proverb, we can see Fuzhou people’s preference for fish balls, especially those overseas Chinese who have returned to their hometown to visit relatives after a long absence. They are pleased to be able to taste the fish balls from their hometown.