Fish head?!? | Imamother

Shendellah ↓

Thu, Sep 10 2009, 12:42 pm

This is my first Rosh Hashanah dinner at my new home (just got married a few months ago) and this is already my 2nd question regarding preparations on Imamother (can you tell I'm a little nervous about it!) My family is not observant so they don't know a lot about kosher cooking and I'm embarassed to ask my friends (I don't know why) Anyways, do you buy the whole fish with the head (or just the fish head)?!? What recipes do you use for the fish?!? Where do you buy the fish?!? I'm really nervous about the fish head so I'm preparing my famous gefilte.

NotInNJMommy ↓

Thu, Sep 10 2009, 12:44 pm

I either get a fresh head at the fish counter or I find something like Sprats that are cooked/smoked already and cut off the head....I find the former easier.

I just take the head, put it in a baking pan, throw on some salt, etc. and maybe honey (we dont' use onion, etc. by RH), cover, and bake.

chocolate moose

Thu, Sep 10 2009, 1:49 pm

Your local fish shop can sell you a head for fifty cents, if they don't give you it for free. Otherwise, buy a smked chub. Just get the tail out of your house before yomtov.

↑ NotInNJMommy ↓

Thu, Sep 10 2009, 1:51 pm

chocolate moose wrote:

Your local fish shop can sell you a head for fifty cents, if they don't give you it for free. Otherwise, buy a smked chub. Just get the tail out of your house before yomtov.

Yeah,I think I meant "chub"...these are only things I've ever looked at for RH since I've been married...

↑ Shendellah

Thu, Sep 10 2009, 2:03 pm

NotInNJMommy wrote:

Is it customary to not have onion on Rosh Hashanah?

↑ NotInNJMommy

Thu, Sep 10 2009, 2:04 pm

Shendellah wrote:

NotInNJMommy wrote:

Is it customary to not have onion on Rosh Hashanah?

some don't have anything charif...some davka have leek. Depends on your minhag.

solo ↓

Thu, Sep 10 2009, 2:21 pm

as other posters said. most kosher fish stores will sell u a fish head.
rinse.
prepare as u would any fish. ur not gonna luv it either way.
I simmer in water with salt pepper corns, sugar and an onion. for 1 hr.
refrigerate.
if that sounds terribly unpleasant u can buy a smoked chub as others suggested and cut off the top portion to serve.

I like to serve it on a platter with leafy greens and many small forks so everyone can take a bite and say the bracha.

Mrs Bissli

Fri, Sep 11 2009, 11:40 am

I don't buy fish heads. I get it for free from a fishmonger. (Sometimes you may have to ask a few days beforehand to save you one, but any fishmongers in jewish neighbourhood will know there are many happy takers).

I used to use salmon but someone mentioned about parasites for river fish, so I switched to either seabass (smaller) or seabream/snapper (white flesh, meaty, nice looking).

I rinse them very well under running water, stuff cavity loosely with gefilte fish mix, then wrap around in a foil and bake. That way it doesn't stink up the oven/fridge. If you wanna be decorative, stick a green olive (for us black olives are nono for Rosh Hashanah) for an eye, make "lip" with red pepper slice.

↑ solo

Fri, Sep 11 2009, 11:45 am

I like the tilapia heads cuz their small and not so fish" looking. red snapper is larger but also not as scarry as a salmon

Rodent

Wed, Sep 16 2009, 12:54 am

We're sepharadi so traditional to do a sheep's head but I can't bring myself to do it, hard to get here anyway. I can't even do fish heads, they freak me out. My husband bought gummy fish last year embarrassed

I may have some begging to do if he'll allow that again this year though. I tried for a head of lettuce but that doesn't have a tail and only works in English.... Better start thinking fast...

hila

Wed, Sep 16 2009, 1:13 am

You dont actually have to eat it .. get a goldfish in a bowl. At it is cute and the kids will enjoy it while it lasts.