Bubba’s Gefilte Fish

Entrée

Difficulty: Medium | Servings: 12 | Recipe is for every 3-pound unboned, unground fish

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 pound Pike
  • 1 1/4 pound Whitefish (or haddock or cod)
  • 1/2 pound carp
  • 2 small onions, sliced
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 medium carrot, sliced
  • 1/2 medium onion, sliced
  • 1/2 cup iced water
  • 1/8 cup + 1 tablespoon matzo meal
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 quart water
  • Fish roe
  • Pepper to taste
Notes

Submitted by Dr. Judith Becker, associate professor pediatrics-cardiology

The Gefilteria’s Jeffrey Yoskowitz: I wish I could tell you how many conversations about this very topic I’ve been a part of. First of all, yes, there is actually a whitefish species. The whitefish that is generally smoked and served in salad and found in appetizing shops (and in most gefilte fish recipes) is Coregonus clupeaformis, otherwise known as Lake Whitefish. It’s native to the Great Lakes in North America. If you ask for whitefish at a Jewish fish shop, your fishmonger will know exactly what you’re going to do with it, and you’ll end up with Lake Whitefish. They may even offer to pre-grind it for you; that’s your call to make. For other fishmongers, the term “white fish” usually refers to a broad swath of mild, white-fleshed fish like flounder, halibut, hake, or sole. If you can’t get your hands on any Coregonus clupeaformis, you can substitute “white fish” for whitefish, and use hake, sole, flounder, whiting or halibut. The Kitchn has a great guide to selecting the right white fish for your recipes.

Tip: We find the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sustainable Seafood Guide to be a useful tool when selecting seafood. There are environmental conditions that are better or worse depending on the lake from which they’re caught and the method by which they were fished. It’s also a good idea to get to know your local fishmonger and ask questions.

Directions

  • Have fish deboned and ground reserving the bones and some fish roe.
  • Soup
    • In a large soup pot, boil 1/2 sliced onion and fish bones in 1/2 quart water covered.
    • Simmer over medium heat and skim periodically.
  • Fish
    • Ground fish again with remainder of sliced onion.
    • Add slightly-beaten egg, mix together.
    • Hand chop in wooden bowl as you slowly add water, matzo meal, slat, pepper and sugar, in turns.
    • Continue chopping with each addition until the fish mixture is a fine aerated paste.
    • Season to taste.
  • Construction
    • Wet hands and form oblong fish balls with hands — about 4 patties per pound of fish.
    • Gently rest patties in fish stock over the bones.
    • As each layer forms, shake pot gently to settle balls and separate.
    • Add carrot slices to top of the soup and gently shake.
    • Lay fish roe on top and gently shake pot to cover.
    • Simmer uncovered for at least 2 hours.
    • Cool and remove fish balls.
    • Strain the fish soup.
    • Store the bones in one container, the balls in another and the soup with fish roe in a third.
  • Finishing touches
    • Serve balls on lettuce with a carrot slice on each ball and horse radish on the side.
    • Serve the fish soup chilled on the side with the fish roe separate from the bones.