Gefilte fish was popular with Jews on Shabbat because the deboned delicacy fit into the talmudic prohibition of not working on the Sabbath to remove parts of food that were inedible, i.e., separating the fishy bones from the flesh. So ground fish was combined with eggs, onions, matzah meal and spices and poached, producing a lovely or murky gelatinous substance and served cold with an overdone carrot and some breathless horseradish.
New York chef Jeff Nathan, co-owner of Abigael’s in Manhattan, likes to mould it into a loaf, dress it up with vegetables, and slice it by request.
Chef Ido Shapira of Tel Aviv carefully removes the bones of a delicate whitefish, leaving the head and tail intact, fills it with a flaked fillet and a myriad of compatible components, and then gently poaches it.
The sophisticated chef got his love of experimenting from his grandmother, who immigrated to Israel from Russia and grew up in an aristocratic family, eating exotic food that wasn’t part of the Israeli table.
“Instead of plain gefilte fish, she took a beautiful whole fish, and stuffed it with the gefilte or stuffed fish. To serve, she wrapped it with rosemary branches. She learned this recipe from her mother, so that makes it about 100 years old,” Shapira said.
Although he accessorizes the dish with the traditional horseradish, he also creates a riff on the root by welcoming another root to the Passover table, the Japanese horseradish, wasabi. But by the time Shapira gets through with it, it bears little resemblance to the fiery green paste that is quite capable of burning our mouths when we dip our sushi into it. As a further riff on the whitefish, pike and carp of our Passover staple, he offers a delicate, melt in your mouth salmon cake.
So, this Passover, we’ll be staving off our hunger with gefilte fish, of one sort or another.
Salmon cakes
From Ido Shapira, cooking teacher and chef/owner of Cutlet Catering, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Makes 24 cakes
o 1 lb. wild salmon filet
o 1/4 cup matzah meal
o 1/2 cup water or fish stock
o 1/4 cup shallots, chopped
o 1 egg
o 1 tsp. kosher salt
o 1/2 tsp. cracked red peppercorns
o oil for frying
Mix matzah meal with water or stock; set aside for at least 1/2 hour.
Heat oven to 300. Place filet in oven, skin side down. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, until inside is just slightly pink. Remove from oven. Cool 15 minutes.
With a fork, gently flake the fish into a shallow bowl. Add matzah meal mixture, shallots, egg, salt and pepper.
Over medium heat, pour oil into heavy skillet to 1/4 in. up the sides. Scoop up fish mixture with a tablespoon; carefully drop into the hot oil, patting it down with back of the spoon to make small delicate fish cakes. Do not crowd the pan. Fry on both sides until golden, about 2 minutes each.
Stuffed gefilte fish
From Ido Shapira, cooking teacher and chef/owner of Cutlet Catering, Tel Aviv, Israel
Ask your fish salesperson to bone the whitefish.
o 1-2 lb. whole whitefish, boned, but with head and tail intact
o 12 cups poaching liquid
For stuffing:
o 1/2 lb. whitefish filet, cut into chunks
o 1/3 cup matzah meal
o 1/2 cup cold poaching liquid
o oil for frying
o 1cup coarsely chopped onions
o 1 egg yolk
o 1 tsp. light brown sugar
o 1 tbsp. chopped chives
o salt and pepper to taste
For stuffing:
Soak matzah meal in cold poaching liquid.
Sauté onions in oil until transparent. Place in refrigerator to cool.
Place fish chunks, onion, egg yolk, sugar, matzah meal, salt, pepper and chives into bowl of food processor. Pulse until mixture is thoroughly combined and has a smooth texture.
Stuff fish with the mixture. Tie fish with kitchen string so that it remains intact while cooking. Place fish in cold poaching medium. Bring water to just below simmer; cook for 25 minutes. Turn off fire; leave fish in poaching medium. Place whole pot in ice bath. Remove to platter.
To serve: place fish on serving tray atop rosemary, Italian parsley and lemon wedges. Garnish with white and purple (beet-flavoured) horseradish. Makes 12 servings.