Ashkenazi

Gefilte fish

Name: Gefilte fish
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 135 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Ashkenazi
Ingredients: 600 g Carp; 400 g Pike; 2 pcs Onion; 2 pcs Egg; 40 g Matzah meal; 1 tbsp Sugar; 2 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Black pepper; 60 ml Water; 2 l Water; 3 pcs Carrot; 2 pcs Onion; 1 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Sugar; Horseradish

Awaiting expert review

Dumplings of ground freshwater fish poached in vegetable broth. A typical first course of the Ashkenazi Shabbat and holidays.

Servings: 8 servings
Prep: 45 min
Cook: 90 min
Difficulty: demanding

Kashrut · pareve

Shabbat Rosh Hashanah Passover

Method

Step 1: Rinse the fish bones, heads and skin. In a wide pot place 2 onions sliced into rings, the bones and heads and the carrots sliced into rounds; add 2 l of water, salt, sweeten and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 2: Meanwhile check the fish fillets for bones and grind them with 2 onions in a meat grinder, or chop them into a fine paste in a food processor.
Step 3: Add the eggs, matzah meal, sugar, salt, pepper and ice-cold water and knead the mixture thoroughly for 3–4 minutes until light and cohesive.
Step 4: With wet hands, shape oval dumplings about the size of an egg (approx. 16 pieces).
Step 5: Carefully place the dumplings in the gently simmering broth so that they are submerged. Cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar, and poach over low heat for 1–1.5 hours.
Step 6: Let the dumplings cool in the broth, then lift them out onto a platter. Strain the broth and keep the carrot rounds.
Step 7: Reduce the broth if you want jelly and pour it around the dumplings. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
Step 8: Serve cold, each dumpling with a slice of carrot and a teaspoon of horseradish.

Tips

Carp bones are small, so feel the fillets carefully before grinding.
In the Czech Republic carp is easy to find in December; out of season a mix with zander or trout also works (check that they have scales).

History and origins

Bible

The Torah permits only aquatic creatures that have fins and scales.¹

HistoryAshkenazim

Originally the ground fish was stuffed into the skin removed from a whole fish (hence gefilte, "stuffed"); today mostly only dumplings are shaped.²

Interpretation⁂ To verify

A frequently cited explanation links the popularity of ground fish on Shabbat to the fact that it avoids picking out bones, which some consider forbidden "sorting" (borer).

Regional variations

Folk customAshkenazim⁂ To verify

In Polish and Galician communities gefilte fish is traditionally sweetened with sugar, while in Lithuanian (Litvak) ones it is seasoned more with pepper. The line between "sweet" and "peppery" gefilte fish is popularly regarded as the culinary border between the two groups.²

MinhagAshkenazim

It is served cold with a slice of carrot and horseradish (chrain), often with jelly made from the broth.

Gefilte fish

Ingredients

Method

History and origins

Regional variations

Goes well with

Sources

Primary sources

Secondary literature