Gefilte fish for beginners

tzipi1 ↓

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 2:06 pm

Hi Moms!
I´m a sephardic future mother (BH) and I would like to prepare the gefillte fish for this shabbos...
Do you know a simple and "tested" recipe for me?
Toda raba

Smile

PinkFridge ↓

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 2:13 pm

B'shaa tova!

Your post reminded me of a story in Light magazine, a backlash to the Ashkenazification of everything [like Moshe Rabbeinu wearing a shtreimel, etc.], and in the story, the shtetl family was in a tizzy because it was winter and they couldn't make their traditional hot pepper sauce to go with the gefilte fish. But I digress.

You can play it safe and do exactly what the wrapper says. But toss in a parsnip, lots of carrots, onions, celery, and add spices. Dill is wonderful. I don't use fresh unless it's in a bag but I've bagged it for gefilte fish. Hatzlacha!

dankbar ↓

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 2:17 pm

If you didn't have baby yet.. & don't know when it will be....sorry gefilte fish, you can't make in advance & freeze. It's good fresh.

Blessing1

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 2:20 pm

You can make it in advance and freeze it raw. I've even froze cooked gefilta fish & recooked it till defrosted. Now I only buy the ready frozen rolls.

↑ dankbar ↓

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 2:20 pm

Basically you do strips of onions, some fresh garlic cloves, carrots, celery, parsley root. Place roll in pot. Fill pot with water. Spice with salt, black pepper balls, garlic powder, paprika. Let cook for 2 hrs.

Forgot to say to add in sugar.

Last edited by dankbar on Wed, Jan 16 2019, 2:23 pm; edited 1 time in total

thunderstorm

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 2:21 pm

1 whole onion, peeled
1-2 carrots peeled , while
1 A &B Royal frozen gefilte fish roll
7 whole peppercorns
2 Tbsp salt
7 oz - 1 cup of sugar
Put everything in a pot. Remove the plastic from the fish roll but leave the paper on that it's rolled in.
Add water to the pot until the roll of fish is 3/4 covered .
Cover pot and simmer on a medium flame for 1.5 to 2 hours.
Cool.
Remove fish roll and carrots from water and put into a storage dish and refrigerate . Slice before serving with a slice of carrot on top of each slice of fish.

Alternately you can bake it in the oven with the same ingredients on 350 in a 9 x13 disposable pan covered with foil for about 1.5-2 hours. Be careful when inserting and removing the fish to and from the oven that the liquid doesn't spill. Cool. Remove liquid from pan and discard the onion. Keep the rest of the stuff in the pan and refrigerate until serving.

Harried mama ↓

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 4:22 pm

I find it fascinating that when someone asks for a recipe for gefilte fish, all the replies are based on the assumption that she means a purchased frozen loaf. Are the days of making gefilte fish from scratch gone?

agreer ↓

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 5:26 pm

Harried mama wrote:

Yes!

↑ Harried mama

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 6:35 pm

I asked that question because I once had my in-laws over for Shabbos and made gefilte fish from a frozen loaf, and when one my SILs complimented me on it and I thanked her, my MIL made some kind of snarky remark about how I didn't actually make it since it was bought frozen. She accused me of trying to hide that fact and pretending that I made it. It made me wonder if I wasn't actually "making fish" when all I did was throw it in the pot with some vegetables and spices.

33055 ↓

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 6:47 pm

My mother used to go down to the docks and buy her fish when the fleet would come in. She would grind the fish to make gifeltte fish - there is nothing like fresh homemade gifeltte fish.

↑ 33055 ↓

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 7:14 pm

ectomorph wrote:

Ive never in my life tasted good homemade gefilte fish.

Did you ever taste homemade? My mom's fresh from the dock is so different than the ground fish you can buy for Pesach. .

↑ ectomorph

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 7:15 pm

Squishy wrote:

Did you ever taste homemade? My mom's fresh from the dock is so different than the ground fish you can buy for Pesach. .

only when I made my own from scratch to see how it tasted
It wasn't even as good as the loaf

Surrendered

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 7:21 pm

I buy ready roll gefilta fish, add Baby salmon fillet slices in a disposable pan. Add sugar and "Fish seasoning" spice (ready store bought). Bake 1/2 hr. On 350`
Freezes well even after cooked.

lkwdlady ↓

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 7:24 pm

I always make delicious gefilte fish using a frozen loaf. I have gotten many compliments and people have asked for my recipe.
Recently I tested another embarrassingly simple method of cooking the frozen loaf. I can’t believe that no one ever told me this before.
I used to peel onions and carrots...
All I have been doing recently (and no one noticed the difference) is the following:

Place loaf (in wrapper) in a large disposable pan
Fill half way with water
Add 2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
A generous sprinkle of onion powder
1 cup sugar (or less if you don’t appreciate sweet fish)
Cover pan with foil and bake at 350 for 2 hours

That’s it! I think one of the reasons it comes out good because the gefilte fish company already spiced the loaf.

Don’t forget to serve with Chrain (horseradish), dips and challah

Last edited by lkwdlady on Wed, Jan 16 2019, 10:51 pm; edited 1 time in total

Mommy1:)

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 7:27 pm

I found that the way I spice it varies depending on the brand. Each brand is different, the flavors are different.

I like the Evergreen brand gefilta fish - consistent flavor, cheap, yummy, easy to prep.
I cook for 1.5 hrs with bay leaves, a handfull of peppercorns, carrot stick, celery stalk, maybe a small onion or piece of onion that I wasn't going to use for another dish. That's it! No need for sugar or anything else.

Cheiny

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 7:45 pm

karol wrote:

Hi Moms!
I´m a sephardic future mother (BH) and I would like to prepare the gefillte fish for this shabbos...
Do you know a simple and "tested" recipe for me?
Toda raba

Smile

Two delicious recipes, for a change from the usual boiled gefilte fish:

1) Remove paper from frozen loaf, place in loaf pan. Pour salsa over the entire loaf, cover with foil, bake at 350 for 90 minutes.
2) Remove paper from frozen loaf, smear all over with a thin coating of mayo, and dip into corn flake crumbs seasoned with garlic, black pepper, onion powder, smoked paprika. Bake at 350 for 90 minutes. Enjoy!

↑ 33055

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 7:47 pm

theta1870 wrote:

For super-fresh, have a live fish swim in your bathtub for a couple of days. Smile

https://www.goodreads.com/book.....thtub

My oldest sibling remembers the fish in the bathtub.