The debate is not over whether to serve gefilte fish, but over what condiments should accompany it. Both white and red spicy horseradish come in jars designated as strong, double strong, triple strong and clear-your-sinuses. Then there’s red sweet horseradish and, of course, mayonnaise. Chrayonaise, another popular choice, is equal parts red horseradish mixed with mayo.
Here’s a hot tip: Wasabi sauce is the latest gefilte condiment rage. The colder the fish the better, I think. About half an hour before the meal, I slice and arrange the fish on a platter, and keep it chilling in the refrigerator until just before serving.
Classic Gefilte Fish
Servings
8 Servings
Ingredients
- 20 baby carrots
- 2 large onions chopped coarsely
- 10 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 22-ounce loaf frozen gefilte fish
Instructions
- Place carrots, onions, water, salt, and pepper in a 4-quart soup pot, cover, and bring to a boil.
- Rinse frozen gefilte fish loaf under water to remove label, but do not remove parchment wrapper.
- When water boils, add fish and return to boil; immediately lower heat to simmer.Simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours
- Drain in colander, transfer fish to sealable container and remove parchment paper by unrolling. Add carrots and onions to container.
- Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours.
- Serve sliced with carrots and onions as a garnish.
- Recipe courtesy of Quick & Kosher: Recipes from the Bride Who Knew Nothing by Jamie Geller (Feldheim 2007).
I defrosted the logs can I still use them? First time cooking for the holidays. A little nervous. TIA
Yes you can! If they are defrosted you are better off baking them like in this recipe https://jamiegeller.com/recipes/spinach-gefilte-fish/
what is a good brand of a frozen log that is not sweet?
they are all a bit sweet, A&B is good
Yes, place in boiling water, wait for the water to come to a boil again, reduce to a simmer, cover pot and cook for required time.
Cover the pot? Jamie’s recipe above says to simmer it uncovered? Which is the best way to do it?
You could go either way, just make sure it doesn’t boil over if you cover it.
10 cups water should cover the log. I find the log doesn’t stay submerged, but floats to the top. 1: Is there a “trick” to keep it under the water?
2: I find that the parchment sticks to the fish when unrolling and that a dark crust forms on top where the fish wasn’t submerged and peels away when I unroll it. This doesn’t make me happy. I assume this happens because the fish wasn’t entirely covered and it “dries “, even though I have tried basting. How can this be avoided?
In response to mybobba, the frozen log is absolutely delicious, IF you know how to prepare it. If one cooks it straight as is, without additions such as Jamie’s recipe or, in my home, we like it a bit sweet (not a lot) by adding to the water, before adding it to the pot, sugar tbsp by tbsp to my desired sweetness, in addition to sliced, not diced, onions and carrots. My father who only ate my Mother’s fish said, after she passed, that my fish was delicious. I have a relative who “reconstitutes” jarred gefilte fish and her family loves it. I tried making it her way and couldn’t swallow. This is my problem. It really boils down to “how you fix” it up and what one grew up with.
Chag Sameach to all.
OMG and WOW and thanks so so much for sharing!!!! (Nova Scotia?!?!? How cool? If you don’t mind sharing how you came to live there I would just LOVE to know!!!)
Your gefilte fish recipes look wonderful but we can’t buy fresh or frozen gefilte fish mix here in Nova Scotia, unfortunately.
I use 2 parts haddock and 1 part cod and process it in 1″ chunks while it is still frozen. (I leave it on the counter for about 10 minutes before cutting it up.) Process the first 1/2 pound until it looks like snow. Then add the rest of the fish in 1/2 lb. lots.
This year there was no cod in the fish department, so it was all haddock. I baked it and it came out light and fluffy like a souffle!
We like our gefilte fish still warm.
check out this homemade gefitle fish recipe, calls for a combination of carp, whitefish, pike, snapper or sea trout
http://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/gefilte-fish/
OMG CRAZY LOL!!!!! Try this homemade recipe for gefitle fish your Grandma will be proud of: http://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/gefilte-fish/
I think you are looking for homemade gefilte? Check out this recipe here: http://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/gefilte-fish/
Was looking for recipe for gefilte fish. Not the frozen log. If you can’t get Pollack or white fish, what can you substitute
Hi Jaime, I was looking for a real classic gefilte fish recipe. But using store bought frozen gefilte fish loaf??
My grandmother would hit me over the head with her walking stick.
Do you have the full recipe for making your own gefilte fish balls?
do I have to use the mill machine to blend the ingredients can’t I use the mixing bowl?
Hi Omer — have you tried the kosher section of Shoprite or Wegmen’s or Stop n Shop or Ralph’s or Kroeger’s not sure what chains you have out there — will be in the freezer section.
— *Marfern1 thanks for being so protective of our feelings 😉 — Mybobba I can certainly understand that it’s a acquired taste but it’s really all about what you grow up with — Hubby was raised on jarred gefilte and he doesn’t like it, he LOVES it!!!
add loaf make sure comes to a boil again with the gefilte loaf in the pot of water then reduce heat to simmer
can I refreeze cooked gefilte fish loaf
you can… people do all the time… I find sometimes (not always) it gets slightly too “watery” tasting… but that’s just me, as I said people do all the time!!!
Loved your video recipe for cooking the A&B frozen gefilte fish. Looks scruptious.
Can you tell me where to find it here in the greater Oklahoma City area. I’ve looked every where we usually find (at least biblicly kosher foods)but can’t find any.
Toda
And mybobba’s comments help how? Sounds like you had a bad day and had nothing better to do than insult everyone else.
Having grown up on homemade and yes them making my own, I do not know how anyone can eat that stuff that comes in a frozen roll with paper around it. I once tried it , took one taste then let my husband eat the rest. Sorry I really taste a huge difference.
when placing the gefilte loaf, i have to wait for it to come to a boil and then simmer or place the loaf and reduce heat?