Gefilte Fish
One of the earliest printed recipes for stuffed fish was in a volume entitled Le Cuisinier Royal et Bourgeois by François Massialot, published in Paris in 1691. The author suggested that the fish be cleaned and the skin filled with the chopped flesh of carp, along with chopped mushrooms, perch, and the nonkosher eel. The skin of the stuffed carp was stitched or tied together, and the fish was then left to cook in an oven in a sauce of brown butter, white wine, and clear broth; it was served with mushrooms, capers, and slices of lemon. In Alsace today there is still a special stuffed fish cooked in white wine, carpe farcie à l’alsacienne, which is similar. But by and large, gefilte fish came to France with the waves of emigrants from eastern Europe. Sarah Wojakowski’s Parisian version of gefilte fish from Poland uses pike, haddock, cod, whiting, sole, and carp, and sautéed onions. Although she makes her gefilte fish into balls, she also stuffs some of the chopped-fish mixture into the head of the fish and encloses more of it in the skin. I have divided Sarah’s recipe in half, but the amounts might still be too big for you. If so, just divide them again. I have a big Seder and always give some gefilte fish away.
Recipe information
Yield
36 patties
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Put the reserved bones, skin, and at least one of the fish heads (see note) in a wide, very large saucepan with a cover. Pour in water to cover by about 5 inches. Add 1 tablespoon of the salt and the peppercorns, and bring to a boil. Remove any scum that accumulates with a slotted spoon.
Step 2
Cut one onion into quarters, and add along with five of the carrots and the parsnip. Add the sugar, and bring to a boil. Cover, and simmer for about 2 hours. Long cooking will ensure a broth with jelly. Turn off the heat, strain the broth, and discard the bones and vegetables, reserving the carrots. Refrigerate overnight.
Step 3
The next day, take the remaining three onions, slice thinly into rounds, and sauté in the oil in a medium-sized frying pan until they are golden. Pulse to grind in a food processor equipped with the steel blade.
Step 4
Put the ground fish and onions in a large bowl. Grate the remaining raw carrot into the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, the remaining tablespoon of salt, the ground pepper, and about 1/2 cup of cold water. Mix thoroughly. Stir in enough matzo meal to make a light, soft mixture that will hold its shape. Either taste the raw fish to see if the seasonings need to be adjusted, or if you are uncomfortable tasting uncooked fish and eggs, heat the broth and dip a small amount in the broth to cook before tasting.
Step 5
Wet your hands with cold water, scoop up about 1/4 cup of the fish mixture, and form it into an oval shape about 3 inches long. Repeat until you have made oval patties out of all the mixture except for a handful to stuff the cavity of the reserved fish head or heads. Gently put the fish patties and the fish heads in the simmering fish stock, adding more water if necessary almost to cover. 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 the gefilte fish is cooked, remove from the water and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.
Step 6
Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the fish patties and the heads, and arrange on a platter with the fish head or heads in the center. Strain some of the stock over the fish, saving the rest in a bowl. Slice the cooked carrots into rounds cut on the diagonal about 1/4 inch thick. Put a piece of carrot on top of each gefilte-fish patty. Chill until ready to eat. Serve one gefilte-fish patty with a sprig of parsley and a dollop of horseradish.
Notes
Step 7
Gefilte fish freezes well.
Step 8
*Ask your fishmonger to grind the fish, reserving the tails, fins, heads, and bones. Be sure he gives you the bones and trimmings.
