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Gefilte fish
Poached fish dumplings
Gefilte fish (געפילטע פיש): Ashkenazi poached fish dumplings with carrot and chrain
Poached fish dumplings start the Shabbat and Passover meal in many Ashkenazi homes across Israel, and families still argue about whether they should be sweet, Polish-style, or peppery like the Lithuanian version. Minced carp, pike or whiting is beaten with onion, egg and matzo meal, shaped into ovals and simmered in a broth made from the fish bones and vegetables, which sets into a light jelly when chilled. Each piece is served cold with a coin of carrot on top and a spoonful of sharp beetroot horseradish. The commonest mistake is boiling the broth hard, which makes the dumplings tough and breaks them up; it should barely tremble. Chef's tip: wet your hands with cold water before shaping each dumpling so the soft mixture does not stick.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the broth
- 1 ⅛ lb fish heads and bonesfrom the fishmonger, gills removed, rinsed
- 8 ¼ cups water
- 3 carrotspeeled, sliced into 1 cm coins
- 1 onionsliced
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp white peppercorns
For the dumplings
- 2 lb skinless carp, pike or whiting filletspin-boned, minced or very finely chopped
- 2 oniongrated
- 2 eggs
- 2 ⅛ oz matzo meal
- ¼ cup cold water
- 1 tbsp sugarless or none for the peppery style
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp white pepperground
To serve
- chrain (beetroot horseradish) (optional)
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Put 1 ⅛ lb fish heads and bones, 8 ¼ cups water, 1 onion, 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp white peppercorns into a large, wide pot. Bring to a simmer, skim off the grey foam and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
35 minStep 2: Strain the broth into a bowl, discard the bones and return the liquid to the pot with 3 carrots. Keep it at a gentle simmer.
Step 3: Meanwhile, put 2 lb skinless carp, pike or whiting fillets in a large bowl with 2 onion, 2 eggs, 2 ⅛ oz matzo meal, ¼ cup cold water, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp white pepper. Beat with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes until light, sticky and holding together.
5 minStep 4: Rest the mixture in the fridge for 15 minutes so the matzo meal can swell; it becomes much easier to shape.
15 minStep 5: With wet hands, shape the mixture into 16 ovals about the size of an egg and lower them gently into the barely simmering broth.
Step 6: Cover with the lid slightly ajar and cook at a bare simmer for 1 hour. The dumplings swell and turn pale and firm right through; cut one open, it should be opaque and set in the centre.
60 minStep 7: Let the dumplings cool in the broth, then lift them into a dish with the carrots and pour over a little strained broth. Chill overnight so the broth sets to a soft jelly.
Step 8: Serve cold, each dumpling topped with a carrot slice, with chrain (beetroot horseradish) on the side. Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 200 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 11 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gefilte fish take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 80 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of carrots?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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