Gefilte Fish – Linda Elman

Linda Elman

Stock
fish bones
1 large onion (peeled)
4-5 carrots
2-3 stalks celery
a couple Tbs salt
a couple of peppercorns
Fish
3 lbs fish – half salmon, half snapper ground (or grind it yourself in a food processor)
3 eggs
¾ cup water
1 onion (finely chopped)
1-2 Tbs salt
1 tsp white pepper

For the stock, bring all of the ingredients to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and let the stock simmer for thirty minutes or so. Remove bones from the stock.
For the fish, beat the fish and eggs with a mixer or food processor.
Add the salt, pepper, and water and continue mixing until the fish appears to be fairly pasty.
Place a tablespoon or two into a microwave container and microwave for about a minute—taste for seasoning. You may need to add salt or pepper.
With wet hands pick up a handful of the fish mixture, form it into a ball, and drop it into the simmering broth. (Periodically you will need to rinse your hands).
Once all of the fish balls are in the broth, simmer for about one hour.
Remove fish balls and some of the broth to containers, cut cooked carrots up and store with the fish.

I learned to make gefilte fish from my brother Steve and my father.  They learned from Auntie Fanny who learned from my mother.  Word has it on the street that my fish is pretty good!

Anyway, in the different place I’ve lived, the fish combination I’ve used has varied.  I generally found the nearest fish store and asked what people used locally.  In New York City I think it was white fish and carp.  In Ohio it was white fish and pickerel.  Now that I’m back in the northwest it’s salmon & snapper.

The worst time I ever had was the year I couldn’t get to Akron to buy fish before Pesach.  I ended up in my local super market buying whatever packaged fish they had.  The stock that year was vegetarian, but the fish was OK.

The secret for home survival is to make sure that all the windows are open, and exhuast fans going!

Linda