Gefilte fish is an Ashekanzi Jewish staple at Passover Sedars all over the world.
It is made from a mixture of fishes, carp, whitefish and/or pike and poached in a homemade fish stock from the bones of such.
Gefilte fish is the equivalent to quenelles in French cuisine.
Gefilte fish may be bought in the supermarket, prepackaged in jars or cans, but if you have the time and the gumption, making your own Gefilte fish from scratch is quite rewarding. The taste is sublime!
Once you eat homemade, you will never eat premade again!
We, at Culinary Architect Catering, make hundreds of pieces of Gefilte Fish for the holidays for our full service and take-out clients.
Be sure that if you undertake Gefilte fish and horseradish making, your kitchen is well ventilated, as fish smells linger and horseradish is extremely potent.
If you would like the taste of homemade, but cannot invest the time, Gefilte fish and horseradish maybe ordered by the piece ($5.25) and by the half pint ($8.95).
Remember, it does not have to be Passover to enjoy Gefilte fish.
These tasty fish morsels can be enjoyed on Friday nights or any night. They also make for a lovely light lunch.
Menu
Makes approximately
12-14 servings
Homemade Gefilte Fish
Radicchio Cups*
Fresh Horseradish
*Recipe Not Given
Culinary Architect Catering’s Famous Gefilte Fish
To Make The Fish:
Approximately 3 lbs.
whitefish*
Approximately 3 lbs. pike*
2 medium onions, grated fine
3 carrots, grated
3 eggs, whisked until foamy
Approximately 1/4 cup
ice water
2 tblsps. matzoh meal
Approximately 1 3/4 tsp.
Kosher salt
Approximately 1 tblsp. sugar
*Ground by your fish monger
To Make The Stock:
Heads, skin, and bones
from the whitefish and pike
2 onions, sliced
1 carrot, quartered
7 cups cold water
1 tblsp. Kosher salt
2 1/2 tsp. sugar
10 peppercorns
To Make The Sauce:
4 carrots, peeled and
sliced on the diagonal
1 leek, cleaned thoroughly
and julienned
1. To make the stock: Place all of the fish trimmings, onions, carrot, water and seasoning in a large pan. Bring to a boil over high heat and simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, checking every now and then. Remove any foam that rises to the top. Let stock cool.
2. Wet a cheesecloth with cold water, wring dry, and drape over a large bowl; strain stock. Wring cloth well to obtain all flavor and liquid from fish. This stock will be cloudy. Rinse pan and pour in strained stock.
3. Place the fish in a large, preferably metal bowl and add carrots and onions. Mix with a chopper (or I use my hands), then pour in eggs in a slow stream and mix with chopper until they are very well combined. Do the same with the ice water and matzoh meal, adding them 1 tablespoonful at a time. Be patient and continue combining for about 15 minutes to make the ground fish soft to the touch. Season with remaining ingredients and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
4. Have a bowl of cold water nearby. Wet hands well and shape fish, 2 heaping tablespoonfuls at a time, into very smooth ovals. Drop them carefully into gently boiling fish stock and proceed until all are made. Be sure to wet your hands well each time.
5. Shake pan and cook fish gently, covered, turning them from time to time for 1 1/2 hours. Let cool and correct seasoning of sauce. Transfer fish to a tightly covered container and refrigerate.
6. Stock will make a soft jelly, add sliced carrots and leeks to stock/jelly and cook until soft, approximately 20 minutes. Chill jelly mixture until serving.
7. To serve, place a radicchio cup on each plate. Place gefilte fish in center. Top with a large spoonful of jellied fish stock, carrots and leeks. Serve with fresh grated horseradish.
Horseradish
Horseradish root
Lemon Juice of 1 lemon
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
1. Open windows!!!!!
2. Peel the horseradish root and grate it by hand, moistening well with fresh lemon juice to prevent it from turning gray.
3. Place, along with apple cider vinegar, in a covered container until serving.
Alexandra Troy is owner of Culinary Architect Catering, a 33-year old Greenvale-based company, specializing in private, corporate and promotional parties. For more photos and presentation follow Culinary Architect Catering on Facebook. Visit culinaryarchitect.com for more entertaining ideas.
