Gefilte Fish

I've been making this for years, but I switched to an even easier method. I use 3 lb fish, a mixture of salmon, ling cod, red snapper, and Dover sole (I live in WA). I use the other ingredients in this recipe but add grated carrots and herbs. I pour the mixture into a greased 12 cup bundt pan and bake at 325 for an hour. I get lovely slices of gefilte fish. I used to spend hours making balls. Now I have more time for other Seder items, and the fish "cake" is delicious.

I've been doing this for about 23 years having picked it up from my mother who picked it up from her mother-in-law who was from Poland. What intrigued me was losing the 2+ hours to get the broth. The question I had is that let the fish sit in the broth until they are ready to be eaten, and that can be as long as a week after I make them. Does the broth you generate - with a much shorter cooking time - work for that purpose ?

Maybe not appropriate: a scientist back in the 20's was watching his mother prepare gefilte fish and had an aha moment. He discovered the transmission route for a certain parasitic worm whose eggs established themselves in fish flesh. It seems only Jewish women, not men, were infected with the worm. The women who prepared gefilte fish were infected from tasting the raw fish and ingesting parasite eggs. Washing your hands isn't just for handling raw chicken.

How many should this recipe make?

If you put the fish mixture into the refrigerator for 20 minutes before constructing the balls and putting them in the simmering water, you will find the task easier and less frustrating.

The Gelfiltefish manifesto suggests using fresh dill and watercress as the herbs and then baking in a terrine - serve with watercress, horseradish and minced red peppers.

I make gefilte fish with white and pike fish. I add bones and head from the pike fish and try to get a carp head from the fish store. This makes a gel which a lot of people like. It cooks 1 and a 1/2 hours. I do not add onion to the water. Onion makes the fish darker. I do add celery and carrot.

This recipe is good, but it needs more salt. I actually fried a small piece of the gefilte fish mixture to check the seasoning before I cooked them, and it tasted good. But the broth you boil the gefilte fish in only has 1 tsp of salt, so the fish ends up absorbing all this low salt broth, and then tastes a little bland. If I was going to make these again, I'd either double the salt in the fish mixture or make a much saltier broth.

My grand mother made gefilte fish the traditional way in individual pattys cooked in broth but it always seemed like a lot of work so I make gefilte fish loaf, which is baked, as it seems easier and tastes good. I use a recipe I found in one of Jane Brody's books which I believe is adapted from one of Florence Fabricant's for gefilte fish terrine which can be found on NYT's site.

Gefilte fish is made from fresh water fish do not taste the mixture until it has been well cooked.

Rita- You nailed it. I made this with Salmon, Cod, & Trout. Added a little of the fennel to the mix & baked it in a water-bath covered for 30 minutes & uncovered for 30 minutes. It was a great success. The presentation was off the chart. I served it with pickled red onions, carrots, fennel, Fresno peppers, & radish. then a little fennel frond. Making it again for a sedar this Saturday. Thanks for your recommendation. An instant classic.

The vacuum seal in this fashion is not a sign that the contents are safely processed for long term storage. More importantly, for long term preserving, fish must be processed with a pressurized canner due to its high pH (low acidity). Microbes such as botulism can survive the temp of boiling water so the higher temp of pressurized cooking is vital. Botulism can survive, and thrives, in low acid, low oxygen environments. And the onions, carrots, celery, and the eggs are also low acid foods.

We tried making it once - I'll never forget the huge carp swimming in our bathtub for about a day before we turned it into gefilte fish. What an ordeal it all was! It came out tasty, yes, but no better than Manischewitz Premium Gold, the best I've ever eaten. Slightly (but not overly) sweet, with carrots and a well made jelly that isn't gummy, I adore them with delicious homemade horseradish with lots of beets. Yum!

I once made fresh horseradish in the food processor. Haha, never again! I stuck my nose right into the container; it felt like an imaginary hand reached out to punch me in the face! My eyes swelled shut. When I was finally able to breathe, I approached my kitchen as if there was a rattlesnake waiting to ambush me! I’ll buy the bottle from the supermarket, thank you.

A real carp in your bathtub??? Respect.

Bring this up a notch with homemade chrain (horseradish). I peel a hunk, shave it into my food processor, add a chopped peeled raw beet or two (my ratio is a little more horseradish than beet), add a pinch of salt and perhaps a spoonful of sugar, process until fine, spoon into a jar and stir in enough white or wine vinegar to moisten well. Adjust salt and sugar to taste. Cover and keep refrigerated. Just be careful not to breathe in or get your eyes too close while processing! Strong stuff!