Jewish Food Recipes

There are hundreds of great Jewish food recipes. Some of the best recipes are the traditional recipes that have been prepared with love for dozens of generations. One of the most beloved traditional Jewish food recipes is that for the gefilte fish.

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The gefilte fish recipe originated in ancient times. It developed out of a need for Jewish families to find a food that would satisfy the food restrictions outlined by the Torah for the Sabbath and that also satisfied the family's need for stretching their limited food reserves. The gefilte fish recipe also helped to extend the shelf life of the fish flesh allowing the family to store their fish for a couple days without it spoiling.

The original gefilte fish recipe used the flesh of carp, whitefish, pike or perch. The meat was taken from the skin, de-boned and then ground into a fine paste. This paste was mixed with onions, matzoh meal and possibly eggs. The onions helped to preserve the meat. This fish and onion mixture was then stuffed back into the fish's skin and then the whole thing was poached in a stock with more onions and chopped carrots.

One of the best things about the gefilte fish recipe is that it is so versatile. Its recipe can be modified by families to meet their tastes. Regional variations also exist. For example, in Latin America the gefilte fish is poached in a tomato sauce while Jewish families in the United States and Canada prefer to eat their gefilte fish with a horseradish sauce. Gefilte fish can be prepared as a savory dish by adding peppers and hot spices to the fish paste, or it can be prepared as a sweet dish by adding sugar and desert spices to the fish paste. This versatility is what has helped to keep the gefilte fish recipe alive for all so many centuries.

In addition to being a versatile recipe, gefilte fish, despite what it looks like, is a fairly healthy dish. It contains a lot of quality protein, it has Omega 3 fatty acids, it is a low carb dish, it is a low fat dish and it has only a little bit of saturated fat. If you are looking for a traditional meal that is in step with modern diet trends then the gefilte fish recipe may be what you are looking for.

Gefilte Fish

What You Need:
Large iron soup pot - 8 quart - with cover
Meat grinder

Ingredients
5 pound white fish to equals 3-1/2 pound of ground meat.
1½ to 1¾ pound whole pike which will equal 1 pound ground fish
½ pound piece of trout
1 medium onion cut into small chunks
5 raw eggs shelled
Salt and pepper to taste.
1 large onion, skinned and sliced
4 medium carrots, cleaned, cut in ¼" slices

Directions
Grind the fish. Your fish market can also do this for you. If they do then make sure that they clean the grinder in front of you so you do not have the taste of fish that you did not purchase. Have them save the heads and bones.

When you get home you can put it through the ginder again, alternating fish with chunks of onions.

In a chopping bowl put in all of the ground fish. Add one whole egg at a time. Chop the egg into the fish until you do not see the egg. Then add the next egg. Do this until you have added the 5 eggs.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Line the bottom of the pot with the sliced onions. On top of the sliced onions place the heads and bones of the fish. (first take the eyes out of the heads and discard).

Fill the pot half way with water. Bring to a boil.

Wet your hands with water. Take enough ground fish into your hands to shape a 3" long by 1/2" thick oval piece of fish. Gently place in the pot.

Continue this process until you have one layer of fish. Cover the pot, lower the heat to just above simmer.

Wait about 10 minutes or until fish turns white. Place one slice of carrot on top of each piece of fish.

On the top of the first layer of fish/carrots, gently place another layer fish. Continue this process until all the uncooked fish is in the pot.

Cook for 3 hours, covered.

Immediately remove the cooked fish from the pot. Place on a platter with a carrot slice on top of each piece.

Chill in refrigerator.

Serve with horseradish on the side.