Help - Cooking Gefilte Fish Balls

Silver Member Joined: Dec 02 2009 Posts: 979

Any ideas of how to do this? I want to put a "spin" on the presentation of gefilte fish. I want to shape my frozen gefilte fish log into small balls and cook them that way and serve the G'filte Fish with Toothpicks in them. I plan on defrosting the frozen log and was thinking of shaping them like meatballs (with wet hands) and putting them into a pot of boiling water and salt, pepper, sugar.

Do you think this will work - or they will fall apart.

I have never made my own "homemade" gefilte fish before - but when people do that - they put the patties/balls into boiling water - so I wanted to know if you think this method will work as well...

TIA!

I haven't made balls but I have made patties and fried them, using a defrosted log. My dh likes them as do I. I was wondering about the balls falling apart too

Executive Member Joined: Dec 01 2009 Posts: 400

I do this all the time. Defrost a roll of fish and then just shape them into balls and cook in tomato sauce. Why should they fall apart?

Platinum Member Joined: Jan 01 2006 Posts: 48155

you can boil them too. they'll be fine.

Silver Member Joined: Dec 02 2009 Posts: 979

Chocolate mousse - have you tried it this way?

I guess I will try it out with a couple of balls - if I see they stick together I will continue. If not - I might add some matza meal to help it stick together - Otherwise I will just make either baked g'filte fish balls (again - only if they retain their shape) - or even different color glilte fish balls - (one with baby carrots, one with spinach and one without anything...

(or - it'll end up as baked g'filte fish loaf....)

I like to come up with creative ways to serve classic dishes - hope one of these ways work out!

Platinum Member Joined: Jan 01 2006 Posts: 48155

sure I have. I eat home every shabbos. I'm married for 23 years. I've done just about everything you can think of !!!

Silver Member Joined: Dec 02 2009 Posts: 979

Well - now that I know I am talking to an experienced expert - how exactly do you do it? Basiccaly as I described above? Wet hands - shape and drop in...? Because they are smaller than a loaf and not frozen - I assume the cooking time will be shortened - from 1 1/2 - 2 hours for frozen loaf to about 30 minutes for the gfilte balls... need I add extra matzah meal?

I think I will make them tomorrow....

Executive Member Joined: Dec 01 2009 Posts: 400

Cook up the water or sauce first before dropping in the balls.
I use the Ungers frozen rolls and never add anything and they never fall apart.
I cook it for one hour.

Silver Member Joined: Dec 02 2009 Posts: 979

I made the G'filte Fish Balls today - quite easy! I made it like I would make meatballs - I had surgical gloves on and used a small "ice-cream" scoop to help size it up and shaped it into balls with a water-dipping bowl next to me. I placed them into a boiling pot of water - with sugar, salt n pepper. The looked like very fluffy kneidels!!!! They did not mush up or cloud the water - but they GREW!!! Will serve them on shabbas I"yh - with a sliced carrot on top and a toothpick inserted into them - cute... but well need to make TINIER balls next time!

Thank you everyone for your help!

Executive Member Joined: Dec 22 2009 Posts: 365

Silver Member Joined: Dec 02 2009 Posts: 979

I placed shredded lettuce on a large servi platter. I filled a pretty small bowl with horseradish and placed that in the center of the platter. I placed two circles of fish balls around the horseradish bowl and topped each gefilte fish ball with a thinly sliced piece of carrot. It had a beautiful presentaion and it helped make one gefilte fish loaf go along way!

Silver Member Joined: Dec 02 2009 Posts: 979

Picture resized

Here is a photo I took after I "prepped" the platter on erev shabbos.

Hope it helps you with ideas! Thank you to all who helped me out with this dish!

Executive Member Joined: Dec 16 2007 Posts: 354

georguos presentation!
how long did u cook the fish balls?

Silver Member Joined: Dec 02 2009 Posts: 979

I cooked them for 1 hour.

Quite easy!

I tried this but it didn't go over well. they were very wattery tasting, bland (I did spice the water!).
What did I do wrong?