Old World Gefilte Fish

The word, gefilte, means stuffed.
So, how did those pale oval patties earn their moniker?

Before the dish became what it is today, gefilte fish was made by carefully removing the meat of a fish, taking care to protect the skin. The flesh was ground and seasoned, then stuffed back into the fish skin. Finally, the whole thing was roasted.

Yep, the stuff we generally eat as gefilte fish is actually the stuffing!

I’ve served gefilte fish in many different ways over the years—as those carrot-topped torpedoes, as slices of a multi-color terrine, and even as a giant fish mold made of gefilte dough.

Today, I’m going to pay homage to my ancestors and stuff a whole fish for Rosh Hashanah. This will satisfy the need for having a fish head on the table as well. And no, I’m not going to undertake the laborious task I described above.

I could do it, you know. I just don’t want to.

If you follow my recipes at all, you know I don’t often reach for pre-packaged stuff. There are exceptions, however, and I’m not opposed to making things easier, especially when doing so doesn’t sacrifice quality. Unlike Grandma, I don’t have a staff of sisters bustling around my kitchen. She was very pragmatic, so I think she’d approve of what I’m doing this year. I’d like to think that she’d probably even be impressed.

Here’s my plan: I’ll take a whole, cleaned fish and remove the bones from the cavity. Not only will that make it less fiddly to eat, it will also give me more room for stuffing. And, it’s lovely to be able to slice tidy portions at the table without being impeded by bones.

I’ll buy two frozen loaves of gefilte fish. If you’re not familiar with them, I’m talking about loaves of the raw fish paste that comes frozen, just waiting to be cooked at home. My favorite brand is A & B, but there are others that are also good. They have several varieties, but I like the sweet one best because it tastes closest to Grandma’s. Whether you need one or two loaves depends upon the size of your whole fish.

But … Instead of following the directions on the box—a perfectly good way to prepare it—I’ll defrost the fish logs overnight in the fridge and then “doctor” them. By folding in just a little bit of finely processed carrot, some finely chopped dill, and a very little bit of finely processed onion (with the excess liquid squeezed out, so as not to add more liquid to the mix), it really can taste like you’ve made it from scratch. Then I’ll stuff that fish with this concoction and roast it.

This recipe makes an impressive presentation, and yet it’s much easier and faster than making all those patties and poaching them in a fish stock. And, if you skip my doctoring of the frozen loaf, it will be even easier.

Just be sure to serve it with plenty of horseradish. Because, even though we want a sweet year, we also want a year with a bit of spice to it!

Before we get to the actual recipe, we need to debone our fish. In the old country, you were probably using a carp or a whitefish, but any kosher fish is fine. Red snapper works, as does trout or salmon. In fact, the contrast between the pink meat of the salmon and the white stuffing can be quite beautiful. Just see what looks fresh at the fish market, and choose a fish that’s the right size for your crowd. Some fishmongers may be willing to debone it for you (Just be sure to tell them to leave the head on), but if not, learn how to do it, here.

If you’ve never done it, deboning a whole fish can feel a little intimidating. Take heart! It takes a bit of finesse, but it’s not terribly difficult. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I recommend you watch Chef Becky Selengut do it, and you’ll feel like a pro in no time.

Old World Gefilte Fish

Ingredients:

1 whole fish, deboned
1—2 logs (depending upon the size of your fish) of frozen gefilte fish (not sugar free!)
A small piece of carrot (Enough to deposit little orange flecks in your stuffing, but not enough to overpower it.
A couple of carrots for garnishing the fish
A small chunk of onion (Again, just enough to enhance the flavor—you don’t want it to be too onion-y)
A bunch of fresh dill
Salt and pepper
Optional: half a green, pimento-stuffed olive to use as a fish eye for garnish, and half-moon slices of lemon for garnish
Method:
Preheat oven to 375°
Peel the carrots for the garnish and slice them into thin-ish coins.
In a small food processor, or using the smallest holes on a box grater, grind the piece of carrot for the fish.
Grind or grate the onion and squeeze out the excess liquid.
Finely chop a little dill. Don’t put the dill in the food processor with the carrot, or you’ll end up with an ugly brown mush instead of lovely little orange and green flecks throughout the stuffing.
Unwrap the log(s) of defrosted gefilte fish and scrape all the bits off the paper and into a bowl. Add the grated carrot, onion, and dill to the bowl and mix well.
Lightly season the inside of your de-boned fish with salt and pepper. Fill the cavity of the fish with the stuffing and secure the seams with toothpicks.
Make a few diagonal slashes on both sides of the fish, pointing from head towards tail. This will keep the fish from curling up while it’s baking. Be careful not to cut all the way through.
Rub the skin of the fish with a little olive oil on both sides, all over. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and place the fish on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Slide the pan into the oven and roast for about 40 minutes, or until it’s cooked all the way through. Carefully turn the fish over and bake it for another 5 minutes or so to crisp the skin on the other side.
Let the fish cool off a bit, then refrigerate.
Meanwhile, take the carrot coins that you sliced in the beginning and put them in a sauce pan with a little water and a couple pinches of sugar. Steam the carrots until soft but not falling apart. Remove them from the pot and keep them cold until you’re ready to serve the fish.
To serve, line a platter with dill fronds. Add some half-moons of lemon, if you wish to. Take the fish from the fridge and place it on the platter. Decorate it with the carrot coins. (See the photo).
For Rosh Hashanah, remove the tail if you want to, because we want to be like the head, not the tail.
At the table, cut horizontal slices and serve it with plenty of prepared horseradish.