Mock Gefilte Fish Recipes

GEFILTE FISH

Steps:

• Grind the fish, 2 1/2 onions and 4 carrots together. Place fish mixture in a wooden bowl. Using a hand chopper, add eggs one at a time. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, 4 teaspoons salt and white pepper and continue to chop until very well blended. Stir in the ice water a little at a time throughout this process. Add matzo meal and chop again. Check to see if mixture is thick enough to bind together to make an oval gefilte fish ball and if not add in more matzo meal.
• Meanwhile, fill two large heavy stock pots half full of water . Into each pot slice one raw onion and one sliced carrot. Add fish skins, if desired. Sprinkle in paprika, salt, black pepper and two tablespoons of sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat and let boil for 10 minutes.
• With wet hands shape the fish balls and carefully drop into boiling stock. Cover slightly and cook over medium-low heat for 2 hours. When done, let fish sit in the pot for 10 minutes, then remove pieces carefully to containers and strain remaining stock over fish balls, just barely covering them. Chill and serve. They will now keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 days.

MOCK GEFILTE FISH

Steps:

• Bring water and stock ingredients to a boil and simmer for half an hour.
• Meanwhile, grate onion and carrots, and mix with the chicken, eggs, and reserved stock. Add the matzo meal or bread crumbs and season with salt, pepper, and sugar. Form into medium-sized balls.
• Bring stock to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and add meat balls and parsley. Cover partially. Simmer for 2 hours.
• Place meat balls in a casserole dish. Reduce the stock to about half, strain, and pour over the meat balls. Top with cooked carrot slices.
• Cool thoroughly in the refrigerator.
• Serve with horseradish sauce.

CLASSIC GEFILTE FISH

Steps:

• 1. Place the reserved bones, skin, and fish heads in a wide, very large saucepan with a cover. Add the water and 2 teaspoons of the salt and bring to a boil. Remove the foam that accumulates.
• 2. Slice 1 onion in rounds and add along with 3 of the carrots. Add the sugar and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes while the fish mixture is being prepared.
• 3. Place the ground fish in a bowl. In a food processor finely chop the remaining onions, the remaining carrot, and the parsnip; or mince them by hand. Add the chopped vegetables to the ground fish.
• 4. Add the eggs, one at a time, the remaining teaspoon of salt, pepper, and the cold water, and mix thoroughly. Stir in enough matzah meal to make a light, soft mixture into oval shapes, about 3 inches long. Take the last fish head and stuff the cavity with the ground fish mixture.
• 5. Remove from the saucepan the onions, skins, head, and bones and return the stock to a simmer. Gently place the fish patties in the simmering fish stock. Cover loosely and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Taste the liquid while the fish is cooking and add seasoning to taste. Shake the pot periodically so the fish patties won't stick. When gefilte fish is cooked, remove from the water and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.
• 6. Using a slotted spoon carefully remove the gefilte fish and arrange on a platter. Strain some of the stock over the fish, saving the rest in a bowl.
• 7. Slice the cooked carrots into rounds cut on a diagonal about 1/4 inch thick. Place a carrot round on top of each gefilte fish patty. Put the fish head in the center and decorate the eyes with carrots. Chill until ready to serve. Serve with a sprig of parsley and horseradish.

MADGE'S GEFILTE FISH

Steps:

• In a large, wide pot, bring fish stock to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer.
• In a large bowl combine whitefish, yellow pike, and carp. Add onions, eggs, matzo meal, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup cold water. Stir with a wooden spoon until mixture forms a paste.
• Moisten hands with cold water. Shape about 1/3 cup of mixture into an oval slightly larger than an egg (3 to 4 inches long). Place gently in simmering stock. Repeat with remaining mixture. Add carrots. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and simmer, until firm and opaque, about 1 hour. Cool to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container. Chill until stock gels, at least 4 hours or overnight. Serve cold, or at room temperature, garnished with fresh horseradish and a sprig of dill. May be made up to 2 days ahead.

SALMON AND COD GEFILTE FISH

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large straight-sided skillet over medium. Add chopped onion and carrots; season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to a bowl; let cool.
• Return skillet to medium-high heat (do not wipe clean). Add remaining onion and carrot, celery, bay leaf, and peppercorns; toast until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add 8 cups water, fish sauce, and 1 tablespoon salt; bring to a boil. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup liquid and matzo meal. Cover skillet.
• Meanwhile, slice 1/2 pound salmon into 10 strips, each about 1 inch thick and 2 inches long. Place on a plate, season with salt, cover, and refrigerate. Chop remaining 1 pound salmon into 1-inch pieces. Place chopped salmon and cod in a food processor with chopped-onion mixture, matzo-meal mixture, mustard, sugar, and dill. Add 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; pulse until combined. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat eggs on medium speed until foamy, 1 minute. Add fish mixture; beat until fluffy, about 7 minutes. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 4 hours.
• Scoop fish mixture into 10 half-cup balls; transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. With dampened hands, press a salmon strip into each ball, then shape into an oval. Return liquid in skillet to a simmer. With a spoon, gently drop in fish ovals. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 15 minutes. Refrigerate overnight.
• Let stand at room temperature about 30 minutes. With a slotted spoon, gently remove gefilte fish. Serve over escarole with lemons, cucumbers, radishes, matzos, and sauces.

WOLFGANG PUCK'S GEFILTE FISH

Steps:

• Place matzoh meal in a bowl, mix with 1 cup fish stock and set aside.
• Place cabbages in a large pot of simmering water and as leaves soften, carefully remove them. You will need about 15 large unbroken leaves or twice that many smaller leaves, which can be put together overlapping to make a large leaf. Rinse softened leaves under cold running water, dry and cut away any large central ribs.
• Heat oil in a small skillet and saute onion until translucent.
• Cube fish, season with salt and pepper and process, using a pulse mechanism, in a food processor. Fish should have some texture. Alternatively, fish can be ground in a meat grinder or ordered ground from fish market.
• Mix fish with onion, parsley and tarragon. Season with pepper. Lightly beat egg yolks and mix in, then add matzoh meal.
• Beat egg whites until frothy, then fold in. Taste mixture for seasoning by poaching a small amount in water, then allowing to cool briefly.
• Place 2 heaping tablespoons of fish mixture in a cabbage leaf or leaves and roll to enclose fish mixture completely, making a package. Repeat until all fish mixture is used.
• Heat remaining stock in large saucepan and add vinegar. Place cabbage rolls, seam side down, in the saucepan and scatter the carrots and leeks over them. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Let cool completely in the stock. Remove fish rolls from stock and refrigerate until a half-hour before serving. Serve with fresh horseradish.

GEFILTE FISH

Steps:

• 1. In a food processor or grinder, grind fish (refrigerate heads and bones for later use), 2 onions, 1 stalk celery, and half a carrot. (If you use a food processor, make sure you leave no large pieces of fish or bones; you may want to transfer the mixture, bit by bit, into a wooden bowl, and go over it vigorously with a hand chopper.)
• 2. Place fish mixture in a large bowl, and add eggs, sugar, salt, pepper, and corn oil, mixing thoroughly with a wire whisk. Stir in matzo meal, and continue to mix until everything is thoroughly blended. Refrigerate for 1 hour or more (longer, even overnight, is better).
• 3. Fill 2 large stockpots three-quarters full of water, and bring to a vigorous boil. In each, throw in half the fish heads and bones, 2 onions, half the celery, and a carrot. Divide batter into 12 patties of equal size. (Don't worry that your batter is a little loose; it has to be that way to keep your gefilte fish light.) Transfer each patty to a large cooking spoon, shape into an oval, and very gently lower it into the boiling water. Put 6 in each pot. Lower heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
• 4. Remove fish balls and carrots from pots, and refrigerate on a covered plate. Discard everything else. Serve chilled with red and/or white horseradish. Slice carrots for garnish.

BEST GEFILTE FISH

Steps:

• Grind snapper meat and trout meat in a meat grinder set to the smallest grind. Process fish meat through the grinder again.
• Place reserved fish heads, skin, and bones in a large pot. Add water, onion, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, and 1 pinch white sugar; bring mixture to a boil and cook until flavors combine, at least 30 minutes. Strain and discard fish heads, skin, bones, and onion. Return broth to the pot.
• Beat ground fish, eggs, onion, water, matzo meal, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon white pepper in a large bowl with an electric mixture until mixture is soft and holds together. Using wet hands, form fish mixture into oblong 1-inch balls.
• Gently drop fish balls into broth, adding more water as necessary to completely cover all of the fish. Cover the pot and bring to a boil; reduce heat, uncover the pot, and simmer until stock has reduced by half, about 2 1/2 hours.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add carrot rounds, cover, and steam until tender but firm to the bite, 6 to 10 minutes.
• Carefully remove fish to a serving dish. Place 1 carrot slice on top of each fish ball. Pour broth over the fish balls and set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate until broth gels, at least 2 hours.

FAIRLY CLASSIC GEFILTE FISH

Steps:

• Grind the fish, but not too finely. In a food processor it should be done in two batches, about 24 pulses each. Mix the fish with the onion, garlic, parsley, matzoh meal, lemon juice, wine or water and eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Do not underseason. The best way to check the seasonings is to poach a small amount of the mixture in simmering water and taste.
• For the stock, place the fish bones and heads in a stockpot. Cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Boil about 5 minutes, skimming constantly. Lower heat to a simmer.
• Add the remaining stock ingredients except the salt, and simmer gently about 1 1/2 hours, adding additional water as needed to keep the ingredients covered. Strain through a very fine strainer. Season with salt.
• Pour the stock into a large shallow saucepan. Add the carrots, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the carrots, slice them and refrigerate. Add enough water to the stock so the liquid is about 3 inches deep. Bring to a simmer.
• Keeping your hands wet with cold water, form the fish mixture into oval patties about 3 inches long. Slip as many as will fit comfortably into the pan, and poach for 30 minutes. Remove and drain them, and continue poaching the rest. When all the fish is cooked, transfer it to a bowl or serving dish, scatter the carrot slices over it and refrigerate.
• Boil down the cooking liquid until it is reduced to about 3 cups. Strain through a fine strainer. Spoon some over the cooled fish. Refrigerate the rest. It should jell. Skim the surface.
• Serve the fish cold with horseradish and jellied broth on the side.

MY MOM'S LEGENDARY GALICIANER (SWEET) GEFILTE FISH

Steps:

• Mix together fish, onions, eggs, salt, sugar, pepper until very thoroughly blended.
• If you are my mother, or not as squeemish as her daughter, you taste it at this point (yes, raw) and adjust seasonings to taste. If you are me, you just pray that it is well-seasoned and move on.
• Add matzo meal slowly, mixing very very well, until it is almost thick enough to shape into balls, but just a bit softer. (How's that for imprecise?).
• Cover the bowl, and refrigerate for at least one hour, or even overnight.
• At this point, you can shape the mixture into balls or loaves and freeze for future use, but no one ever does because deferring this gratification for that long is just impossible.
• Make the broth: In a large soup pot, mix the broth ingredients.
• Bring to a boil, then simmer for at least 30 minutes or so. It should be sort of golden in color. Taste to adjust seasoning. The broth should be sweet and a little salty.
• Form the fish mixture into balls, cylinders, loaves -- whatever.
• Add to broth, bring to a boil again, and then lower to a very slow boil for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• Cool. Eat. Enjoy.