Gefilte Fish is a polarizing dish. Some people absolutely love it and some people absolutely hate it. Because it has a slightly sweet taste it doesn't always appeal to those (like many Mizrachi Jews - Moroccans, Yemeni, Iraqi…. ) who prefer spicy dishes.
However...I have a story.
I grew up thinking that gefilte fish was the premier dish of Pesach (Passover) because my mother would make it once a year. It is very labor intensive and the pike or pickerel lake fish were only available in the spring. I also thought that because of its color and consistency, no one but Ashenazi Jews would even try it. Add chrain (horseradish) to the mix and those not accustomed to it, would flee in terror. And I thought I was proven correct when I moved to New York and heard many comments about the "filtered" fish Jews eat on Passover and how "so foreign" it is. Okay, I thought. Gefilte fish is wonderful and delicious. It is a good thing the rest of the world is not hankering after it. More for me.
But one summer we went to France and visited with an old friend of Ken's from the Berkeley days. We were eating at home and he took us marketing. We went to a very fancy epicerie in Sceaux where all the delicacies were pristinely presented.
He ordered the fish mousse. I wasn't too keen. It was covered in gelee and there were black dots suspended in the fish. We took it home and made our lamb dinner. When it came time for the hors d'œuvre, Ken declined. I felt I couldn't, so I asked for a small piece. I took one bite and voila! Slightly smoother, but the fish mousse was essentially gefilte fish. Cooked in a broth and refrigerated. Eaten as the first course of the meal.
BT's Family Gefilte Fish From Scratch Recipe
Ingredients:
For the yoch (broth)
6 cups water
2 large onions
4 carrots
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sugar
black pepper
bones and skin from fish
For the fish:
2.2 pounds (1 kilo) fish (pike, pickerel, whitefish, jackfish)
1 large onion
1 scant tablespoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons matzo meal
1/2 cup (120 ml) cold water
3 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper - very fine grind
Directions:
Debone fish and reserve bones for broth
Remove skin and reserve for broth
Grind fish - hand grinder produces a better consistency but a processor will do
Dice onion and place in a bowl
Mix eggs, mazoh meal, salt, oil, sugar and pepper together.
Add ground fish and onion.
Add water to content as needed until everything is incorporated
Refrigerate
In a large cooking pot add fish bones, skin, vegetables and enough water to cover the contents
Remove fish mixture from fridge and make oval shaped balls
Bring the broth to boil and add fish
Put the lid on the pot and keep it closed while it cooks - approximately 15 minutes
If making this ahead of time:
Sterilize sealing jars.
Place hot fish in jars
Add enough liquid to cover balls
Close sealers and store in refrigerator for up to two months
Eat with horseradish.
Enjoy! !בתיאבון
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