cheater’s gefilte fish
For Shabbat or Holidays
cheater’s gefilte fish—two ways
Gefilte fish gets a bad rap. I sort of get it. There’s a lot of terrible gefilte fish out there. But, I suspect that if the only meatballs I’d ever had were from a can of Spaghettio’s, I would think meatballs are terrible.
Grandma Lee never bought gefilte fish from a jar. When I was very young, she’d have live fish swimming in the bathtub, just waiting to be gefilte-d. When I got to be a little older, she embraced the 20th century and began buying whole, cleaned fish from the fishmonger across the street. The day before Passover, her little kitchen was filled with Aunts scurrying about like ants—filleting, grinding, peeling carrots and onions, making the stock, forming the little torpedos… and they were Fabulous.
I have made gefilte fish her way. It comes out great. But I don’t have all those helping hands that Grandma had. And, fresh fish can get very expensive.
I’ve often made gefilte fish from a frozen loaf, “doctoring” the mixture to give it that home-made taste. That comes out great, too.
But there are times that I don’t even have time to do that. That’s where those jars come in.
That said (in my opinion), most brands are horrible tasting. And there’s no fixing horrible. There is one brand that I will use. The best gefilte fish from a jar that I have ever tasted, in fact the only one I’ll buy, is the Yehudah brand. Both the original and the sweet are good. Here’s how to make them taste pretty close to home-made. I promise, they come out flavorful and delicious. Serve them the traditional way, with lots of horseradish—white, red, or both. The prepared horseradish in a jar that you find in the supermarket is fine. Or, you can take it to the next level and make it from fresh horseradish root. It’s quick and easy to make. So, whether you start with a loaf or a jar, give yourself a break. It’s ok to cheat every now and then, especially when the result is totally enjoyable.
my mother’s cheater’s gefilte fish
From a jar
\Makes 12 servings; can be doubled
Ingredients:
2 jars Yehudah gefilte fish
3 medium onions, diced
3 carrots, peeled and nicely sliced on the diagonal
a small bunch of fresh dill
Method:
Place the onions, the carrots, and a few dill sprigs into the bottom of a large pot with a tight fitting lid.
Pour the broth from the jars of fish over the vegetables.
Add a dash of salt and a few grindings of pepper.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so that the broth is simmering very gently. Cover the pot and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove the cover and gently add the fish pieces to the broth.
Bring back to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for another 30 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat, remove the cover, and allow the fish to cool for 15 – 20 minutes. Don’t try to move the patties before this resting period or they could fall apart.
Remove the fish from pot with a slotted spoon. Be very gentle. Place them in a single layer in a dish (I use a rectangular Pyrex) and top each piece with one or two nice slices of carrot. Strain out the remaining carrots and onions from the broth and pour it over the fish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and chill before serving. Finish by decorating each piece with a small sprig of dill and serve with plenty of horseradish—white, red, or both.
Note: This is best made the day before so that it has time to chill.
Keep in mind that it’s very perishable. Don’t take it out of the fridge before you’re ready to serve it, and put any leftovers away immediately.
The gefilte fish will stay fresh for up to three days.
my cheater’s gefilte fish
From a frozen loaf
\Makes 12 servings; can be doubled
Ingredients:
2 loaves frozen gefilte fish—I like A&B brand, the sweet variety
3 medium onions, diced
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
3 carrots, peeled and nicely sliced (⅛ inch thick slices) on the diagonal
½ stalk celery, cut in chunks
a small bunch of fresh dill
optional: a small grating of nutmeg
optional: commercial fish stock (adds flavor, but you can use water)
Method:
Defrost the gefilte fish loaves in the refrigerator over night.
Hold back 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion and half a carrot (the skinny end). Using a box grater, grate the piece of carrot. Finely chop about 1 tablespoon of dill.
Place the remaining onions and carrots, the celery, and a few dill sprigs into the bottom of a large pot with a tight fitting lid. Add water or fish stock according to the package directions. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pot, and gently simmer for 30 minutes.
In a food processor, combine the defrosted gefilte fish—be sure to scrape every bit from the wrapping paper—with the reserved onion and the garlic. Add a dash of salt and a few grindings of pepper. If you’re using the nutmeg, add it now. (Just a pinch) Process until well combined. Then, stir in the reserved carrot and chopped dill by hand. (If you add them to the food processor they will give your fish a very unappetizing color.)
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using an ice cream scoop for uniform size, scoop balls of the fish mixture onto the pan.
Remove the cover from the pot. With wet hands, pick up one ball of fish and shape it into a football, then gently add it to the simmering broth. Repeat with the rest of the fish balls, wetting your hands for each one.
Bring the pot back to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat, remove the cover, and allow the fish to cool for 15 – 20 minutes. Don’t try to move the patties before this resting period or they could fall apart.
Remove the fish from pot with a slotted spoon. Be very gentle. Place them in a single layer in a dish (I use a rectangular Pyrex) and top each piece with one or two nice slices of carrot. Strain out the remaining vegetables from the stock and pour it over the fish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and chill before serving. Finish by decorating each piece with a small sprig of dill and serve with plenty of horseradish—white, red, or both.
Note: This is best made the day before so that it has time to chill.
Keep in mind that it’s very perishable. Don’t take it out of the fridge before you’re ready to serve it, and put any leftovers away immediately.
The gefilte fish will stay fresh for up to three days.