Gefilte fish, the way my grandmother prepared it

There are two variations of this dish, or rather two different recipes. I vaguely remember eating both growing up, but have never prepared them myself. The recipes have been passed on to my mother and now she is passing them on to me. I will describe them in loose terms as my mother described them to me.

Version #1

If my memory serves me correctly, my grandmother cooked all dishes that took a long time in our brick oven. In those days, the wood or coal-burning oven was used for everything from heating a home to cooking food, and even sleeping on its top. I imagine if one had a brick oven handy, it would make for a wonderful rendition of this dish. If not, I am sure this stovetop version is plenty good; my mother insists this fish be prepared on the stovetop. 

Fresh water fish like pike or carp was commonly used to make gefilte fish. Our close proximity to the river and lakes had a lot to do with that. My grandmother preferred pike. Pike was considered a noble fish worthy of high holidays and celebrations; carp was more of a commoner’s fish. Needless to say, we never ate carp during our holiday meals.

There is a reason this recipe calls for soaked bread and not matzo. Communist Soviet Union was an atheist country. Judaism was shunned upon even more then other religions. Anti-Semitism was rampant, and persecuting Jews was practically a national pastime. So, of course, we could not openly celebrate Jewish holidays. Matzo was almost impossible to find. My mother’s aunt would make some and sneak it in to my grandmother’s house for Passover by bringing it packed in a suitcase. Needless to say matzo was too precious to soak and grind into the fish forcemeat so my grandmother used bread instead. We kept our traditions alive and observed the religious customs as best as we could.  

Directions:

Use one whole pike or white fish about 3 pounds, boned and butterflied. If using bone in fish then 4 pounds or so scaled, gutted and cut through the bone into 3 to 4 inch pieces.

Generously salt the fish pieces (head and all), and let them sit in a cool place for at least two hours (it is best to refrigerate overnight.)

Wash the salt off and dry well. Cut as much meat out as possible around the head and the spine bone, leaving the skin and the spine bone intact. Grind the extracted flesh on a meat grinder with ½ cup of roughly chopped onion and 6-7 ounces stale bread soaked in a pint of milk [Ed. Note: for Passover substitute matzoh soaked in water]. Stir in one beaten egg and season the mixture with salt and lots of ground black pepper. Stuff the forcemeat back into the head and all the cavities around the skin, making it look like the original pieces of fish if possible.

If using a boned butterflied fish, spread the stuffing on the bottom side of the fish and cover the top.

Slice unpeeled onion (peel adds color) and line the bottom of a large Dutch oven with them. Scatter a few thin slices of peeled and thinly sliced red beets (be careful and not put too many, or the resulting broth will be red in color. Amber or golden color is desired.) followed by a layer of peeled and sliced carrots. Gently place the stuffed pieces of fish in a single layer on the bed of sliced vegetables or, if using a whole stuffed fish, carefully place it in the fish poacher or pot large enough to hold it. Completely cover the fish with more of the same sliced vegetables in the same order as the bed. Sprinkle some whole black peppercorns, one large pinch of sugar, and add a couple of whole bay leaves. Pour enough water to come up just above the top layer of vegetables. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Take the cover off and lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 2 to 2 ½ hours; the resulting liquid is very flavorful and should feel a bit tacky to the touch.

(Chef’s comments: The fish will want to float to the top. Cover the fish loosely with parchment paper and pour a bit of cooking liquid over the top. It will keep it submerged while letting the liquid reduce and evaporate.)

Cool completely and serve with some cooked carrots, a bit of gelled cooking liquid, and prepared horseradish. 

Version #2 

I think that the following version is more suitable when whole fish is not available. It also offers a very different cooking and serving variation.

(Prepared horseradish recipe is available in Paley’s Place cookbook if needed.) It is my grandfather’s recipe.

Directions:

Generously season a couple of pike fillets with salt. Keep in a cool place for an hour or so. Wash the salt off and dry well. Grind the fillets on a meat grinder with some diced onion and stale bread soaked in milk or water [Ed. Note: for Passover substitute matzoh soaked in water]. Add one egg and mix. Form into patties the size of your palm and pan-fry in vegetable oil till golden on both sides. Place the cooked patties onto a serving platter; let them cool while preparing other parts of the dish.

Slice thinly a couple of large peeled onions and 4 to 5 large carrots. Cook the vegetables slowly in vegetable oil until very soft. Stir in a little tomato paste and season to taste. Continue cooking a little longer, stirring until the vegetables collapse. Cool the mixture slightly, then spread evenly over the fish patties.

Cool completely and serve with prepared horseradish.