Taiwan Food Atlas

Tamsui Fish Ball Soup

Handmade fish balls in a clear broth — the real test of quality on the century-old street
📍 New Taipei · Tamsui Old Street🏛️ Iconic · Soup🔖 Handmade Fish Paste · Thin-Skinned and Chewy · Century-Old Street

Tamsui fish ball soup is the signature snack of Tamsui Old Street in New Taipei, made from hand-beaten shark paste shaped into balls with a pork or shrimp filling, served in a clean, delicately sweet broth — one of Taiwan's four representative fish ball styles, alongside Nanfangao mahi-mahi balls, Tainan milkfish balls, and Kaohsiung sailfish balls. For many people, a bowl of fish ball soup is the first hot food they reach for after stepping off the ferry at Tamsui. The fish paste is hand-beaten from shark meat, giving the balls a thin skin and a springy bite, with a filling of minced pork or shrimp; the broth is clear but not thin, simmered on fish bones. Overshadowed by the fame of agei, fish ball soup is actually the older of the two — the everyday soup dish with deeper roots on the old street.

Per Taiwanese fish-paste food classification, Tamsui shark-paste fish balls are grouped with Nanfangao mahi-mahi balls, Tainan milkfish balls, and Kaohsiung sailfish balls as Taiwan's four representative fish ball styles, with shark meat as the traditional base for Tamsui's version. Kekou Fish Balls, a Tamsui Old Street shop that operated for more than 55 years — starting as a bun shop in 1967 and putting up its fish ball sign in 1968 — suspended operations in 2024 due to unstable supplies of quality fish, illustrating the real pressures facing old fish ball shops today.

What is Tamsui Fish Ball Soup?

Fish balls are made from sailfish paste (historically also shark paste), mixed with salt and tapioca starch and beaten repeatedly until the mixture becomes elastic, then shaped into rounds and stuffed with minced pork or shrimp filling before being blanched in boiling water to set. The skin is springy without being tough; when you bite through it, the filling releases its savory juices. The broth is typically a light stock of fish bones or pork bones, seasoned with nothing more than salt and white pepper — deliberately kept mild to let the natural sweetness of the fish balls speak for itself, with no heavy sauces added.

Tamsui sits at a river mouth with historically abundant seafood. Large fish such as sailfish and sharks were processed into fish paste as a way of making full use of the catch. During the Japanese colonial period, old street vendors were already supplying dock workers and fishermen with fish ball soup, which gradually became a morning staple for local residents. In the era when ferry culture was at its height, commuters traveling between Tamsui and Taipei by boat would often stop for a bowl of hot soup before boarding — cementing the place of fish ball soup in the food history of the old street.

How to eat it like a local

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Bite first, then drink the brothGently bite into the fish ball and let the meat juices spread in your mouth before sipping the broth. Don't rush to swallow it whole — this is the way to taste the contrast between the fish skin and the filling.
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Go easy on the condimentsStalls usually set out soy paste and chili sauce. Try the broth plain first to gauge how flavorful the fish balls are on their own, then add condiments sparingly — you don't want to mask the fish paste flavor.
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Go early for the freshest batchLong-standing stalls typically start selling in the early morning. Afternoon fish balls are from a prepared batch; morning ones are freshly cooked and have the best texture. Aim to arrive before 10 a.m.
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Pair with agei for a complete mealIt's local practice on Tamsui Old Street to have agei and fish ball soup together as a meal — the savory, fragrant tofu complements the clean, light soup, and the two are understood by locals as the natural pairing.

Local knowledge

Verified credentials

  • Tamsui Old Street fish ball soup is supported by a century of local food records and field research by local historians, establishing it as an everyday community food rather than something created for tourism.
  • Old-established shops such as Kekou Fish Balls have passed through multiple generations, with local lineages of fish paste craftsmanship traceable within the community.
  • In the Tamsui Cultural Foundation's publication on old street food, fish ball soup and agei are listed as the two representative soup and snack dishes of the old street.

Visitor tips

  • The old street is crowded on weekends and individual stalls may sell out early. A weekday morning visit is recommended, or come outside the afternoon peak.
  • Fish ball preparation varies between stalls; some use commercially produced fish paste. You can ask whether the balls are house-made before buying — self-made stalls typically charge a little more.
  • Most seating is outdoors or under arcades. On rainy days, bring your own umbrella or choose a shop with indoor seating.

Source: Century-old Tamsui Old Street food records and field research by local historians. Photos will be replaced with Dio's own footage after the on-site shoot.

Frequently Asked Questions

What fish was traditionally used for Tamsui fish balls?

Tamsui fish balls traditionally use shark meat as the paste base, placing them among Taiwan's four representative fish ball styles alongside sailfish, mahi-mahi, and milkfish versions.

Which is older on Tamsui Old Street, fish ball soup or agei?

Fish ball soup has deeper roots as a daily food for dockworkers and fishermen, even though agei is now more famous.

Is the old shop Kekou Fish Balls still open?

Kekou Fish Balls operated for more than 55 years but suspended business in 2024 due to unstable supplies of quality fish, so check current status before visiting.

How is the broth for Tamsui fish ball soup made?

The broth is typically a light stock of fish bones or pork bones, seasoned only with salt and white pepper to let the fish balls' natural sweetness come through.

Sources

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