How To Serve Gefilte Fish Food

GEFILTE FISH APPETIZER (DOCTORED FROM THE JAR)

Steps:

• Place very little olive oil in a pot over medium heat.
• Add the onion and just slightly brown.
• Add the pieces of fish and the fish geletin, carrots, celery and pepper to taste.
• Raise heat to high and bring to a boil and then reduce the heat back to medium or medium-low and simmer 8 to 10 minutes… Remove from heat.
• Take the pieces of fish out of the pot very gently and cool on a platter.
• Reserve the vegetables.
• Slightly oil a cookie sheet.
• Lay the pieces of fish onto the slightly oiled cookie sheet and turn the fish over, so that both sides of the fish are oiled. Place the fish into a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.
• Turn the fish over and bake another 10 minutes, or until the fish is slightly browned. Remove from oven and refrigerate. Serve with the reserved vegetables and horseradish.

GEFILTE FISH

Steps:

• 1) Combine all ingredients, except the fish skin in a large (8 to 10 quart) braising pot. The skin will be added after the Gefilte fish is cooking. 2) Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Mix the Gefilte fish while the stock is simmering. The dumplings will be cooked in the stock after it has simmered 20 to 30 minutes and the stock will not be strained until after the Gefilte fish is removed.;
• Grind the fish fillets (which will have the fine pin bones in the meat) through the small plate of a meat grinder. Mix well and grind again. Place the fish in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs, onions, carrots, matzo meal, salt, pepper and sugar. Mix very well. Add the oil and cold water and blend into a smooth paste. Make a small ball and cook in the stock for a couple of minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Have a bowl of water handy. Keeping both hands wet, shape 3-ounces of the mixture into oval balls and drop into the stock. Continue until all are made and added to the stock. After they have cooked 10 minutes, add the skin (it was reserved) to the stock. Cover the pot and simmer slowly for 2 hours, turning and basting the dumplings every 15 or 20 minutes. Remove the Gefilte fish with a slotted spoon and place in a large container. Strain the remaining stock over the Gefilte fish. Pick the carrots slices out of the remains and add to the strained stock as well. Allow the Gefilte fish and carrots to cool in the stock, which should gel when completely chilled. Serve with the jellied stock, carrots and beet-horseradish. Slice the Gefilte fish for a nice presentation.;

BAKED GEFILTE FISH

Steps:

• Prep the fish. Working in batches if necessary, place the rockfish, pike, and flounder fillets in the container of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process until pureed. Transfer the fish to a large bowl. Bring the fish stock to simmering in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Mix the fish. Add the matzo meal, eggs, sugar, thyme, parsley, lemon zest, salt, and pepper to the bowl with the fish. Mix together with a wooden spoon until well combined. Shape the fish mixture into oval patties about 2 by 4 inches. Carefully lower the patties into the simmering fish stock, return to simmering, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the patties to a paper towel-lined tray. Strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer into the dish with the patties. Let the stock cool (it will gel) and then refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours.
• Bake the fish. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Using a slotted spoon, remove the fish patties from the gelatin and transfer to a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake the patties until lightly caramelized on edges-about 20 minutes. Serve topped with a dollop of the gelatinous stock and some Boiled Carrots with Prepared Horseradish on the side.

GEFILTE FISH

Steps:

• Saute the onion in margarine until soft. Combine with the carp and whitefish and chop finely with steel blade in food processor (or chop by hand). Season mixture with salt and pepper.
• Add eggs and mix well to blend. Blend in almonds.
• With wet hands shape the fish mixture into ovals, using two tablespoons for each.
• Place the ovals in lightly boiling fish bouillon, cover and cook at a slow boil for about 30 minutes. Remove fish balls from bouillon and arrange on serving dish. Strain the bouillon through a fine strainer over the fish and refrigerate. The bouillon will jell.
• To serve, arrange a piece or two of cooked carrot slices on each piece of gefilte fish, decorate with parsley and serve red horseradish on the side.

INDIVIDUAL SERVINGS OF GEFILTE FISH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place onions into a food processor and pulse a few times to coarsely chop. Transfer onions to a large bowl. Place carrot into food processor and pulse once or twice to chop; process until very finely chopped, about 30 seconds. Add carrot to onions. Place whitefish fillets into food processor and grind until the fish is a fine paste, about 2 minutes. Add fish to bowl.
• Combine onions, carrot, and whitefish with cold water, matzo meal, egg, egg whites, sugar, vegetable oil, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper, stirring to combine well. Spoon whitefish mixture into 16 muffin cups, filling them level with the top edge.
• Bake in the preheated oven until gefilte fish cakes are set and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in muffin cups, remove, cover, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.

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 LOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl mash the gefilte fish and set aside.
• Process the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor.
• Add to the mashed fish.
• Grease a 9x5 loaf pan, I use cooking spray.
• Pour in fish mixture.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
• Remove from oven and cool.
• Turn loaf onto a platter.
• Chill.
• Serve with horseradish.