Zamosc Gefilte Fish Recipes

ZAMOSC GEFILTE FISH

Steps:

• 1. Place all the stock ingredients in a large kettle with a cover. Bring to a boil, then partially cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. While waiting for the pot to boil, begin preparing the fish.
• 2. In a wooden bowl, add to the ground-up fish all the other ingredients listed under Fish, carefully chopping very fine and blending. You can also use the grinder on a mixer. Wet your hands and form the fish into fat, oval-shaped patties, carefully sliding each into the simmering stock.
• 3. Simmer over a low flame slowly for 20 to 30 minutes or for 2 hours. Allow to cool in the pot and carefully remove all the patties, placing them on a platter.
• After the fish has been removed, strain off the cooking liquid. This stock should then jell when chilled; if it does not, simply add a package of unflavored gelatin, following instructions on the package.
• 4. Serve the chilled gefilte fish with the jellied fish stock, horseradish, and of course the carrots.

GEFILTE FISH

Steps:

• Fill a large, wide pot with 10 cups of water and place over high heat. While bringing to a boil, coarsely chop and add to the pot 1 onion, 1 celery stalk, 1 carrot and the fennel bulb. Add the peppercorns and 1 teaspoon salt. Once water is boiling, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, while preparing the fish.
• Coarsely chop the remaining onion, celery stalk and 1 carrot, then pulse in a food processor until finely chopped. Add fish, chives and 2 tablespoons parsley, tarragon and/or dill, and keep pulsing until fish is chopped but not mushy.
• Move the fish mixture to a medium bowl and add eggs, oil, matzo meal, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (or more to taste) and the ground black pepper, and mix well with your hands.
• Put your hands in a bowl of cold water. Using your hands, mold the fish mixture into a 3- by 2-inch oval patty (about 2 ounces) and gently place on a platter. Repeat with the remaining fish mixture, dipping your hands in water as needed.
• Pop the third carrot into the simmering broth and gently add the patties to the pot. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes until patties are firm.
• Use a slotted spoon to remove the fish and carrot from the poaching liquid to cool on a plate. Slice the carrot diagonally into thin rounds.
• Place each patty on a leaf of radicchio or endive or both. Set the sliced carrot rounds on top of each patty. Garnish with the remaining tablespoon of fresh herbs and serve warm or at room temperature with horseradish, preferably homemade. If making a day ahead, refrigerate, covered, then return the patties to room temperature before serving.

HOMEMADE AUTHENTIC GEFILTE FISH

Steps:

• Ask your fishmonger to fillet the fish, reserving the bones and heads for you. Also ask for an extra head (it will improve the broth).
• Coarsely grind the fish with 2 of the onions in a grinder or processor.
• Transfer the mixture to a wooden bowl and continue chopping with a mezzaluna (half-moon shaped chopper) as you work in the 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tbsp sugar, matzo meal, eggs, and enough water (about 1/4 cup) to produce a smooth light paste. If you don't have a mezzaluna, you can do this on a cutting board with a knife (**either way, make a well in the center of the mixture before adding the eggs and water).
• Put the fish heads and bones into a large wide pot along with the carrots, pepper, remaining 2 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp sugar, and one onion. Cover with plenty of water and bring to a boil.
• In a separate pot, bring to a boil 3 quarts of water.
• When the first pot comes to a boil, prepare the fish balls. Keeping your hands moist with cold water, form spheres the size of very large eggs (they will expand when cooked) and drop them carefully, one by one, into the pot with the fish bones. The water should be kept at a slow simmer as you continue to add fish balls.
• After all the balls have been added, simmer for 1.5 hours. Add additional water from the second pot as necessary, so that there is enough liquid to keep the balls afloat.
• Remove from heat and let the fish balls cool in their liquid.
• With a slotted spoon, remove the fish balls to a serving platter.
• Strain the cooking liquid. Pour it into a large wide jar and refrigerate until cold (overnight if possible). It should gel. If it doesn't, rewarm the liquid and dissolve 1 package of gelatin in it. Test by putting a teaspoon of the liquid on a plate and refrigerating; if it doesn't gel, add more gelatin (up to 3 packages) until it does. Refrigerate until chilled.
• Serve the fish cold with the fish aspic and chrain.

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.

GEFILTE FISH

Steps:

• To make the stock, place all the ingredients for the stock except the carrot slices in a two-quart souffle dish. Cover tightly with microwave plastic wrap. Cook at 100 percent power in a high-power oven for 30 minutes. Prick plastic.
• Remove from oven. Uncover and strain. Pour half of the stock back into dish. Set remaining broth aside. Add sliced carrots to the cooking dish. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Prick plastic to release steam.
• Remove from oven and uncover. Set aside.
• To make the fish mixture, place the fillets and onion in a food processor. Process until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients except gelatin and horseradish and process just until combined. Refrigerate until cold. With damp hands, shape mixture into eight plump ovals, about 1/4 cup each.
• Arrange the ovals in spoke fashion around the edge of a 14-by-11-by-2-inch oval dish. Remove carrots from broth with a slotted spoon and place in center of dish. Pour broth from the dish over all. Cover tightly with microwave plastic wrap, leaving a small vent in one corner. Cook for 10 minutes. Prick plastic.
• Place a small plate in the freezer (to use later to test gel of stock).
• Remove fish from oven. Uncover, and turn each piece over. Let fish cool in the broth for 30 minutes.
• Test the jelly by pouring a spoonful of broth onto the cold plate. Place the plate in the freezer for 1 minute. Broth should be firm. If it is not, place the reserved broth in a bowl and sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon gelatin on top. Let stand for 2 minutes. Stir well and repeat test with chilled plate. If broth is still not firm, add another 1/2 teaspoon gelatin and repeat test.
• Place gefilte fish in the smallest deep container that can hold it in one layer. Cover with all of the broth. Chill fish and broth at least 24 hours.
• Serve gefilte fish chilled, with some of the jelled broth and carrots. Pass horseradish in a separate bowl.

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.

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.