Amazing Gefilte Fish Recipe

Popular at my holiday table, this is my version of gefilte fish. If you don't know, gefilte fish is sort of like the ground beef of the fish world and is an "Ashkenazi" (Eastern European) Jewish recipe and is traditionally served as a first course on Sabbath and festival meals. Often people will boil the loaf (in the parchment paper) in a big pot of water with a carrot and celery, salt, pepper and maybe some sugar. My "doctored" recipe is a favorite. I gauge if people like it by how much leftovers there are—or not.

Amazing Gefilte Fish Recipe 

© 2011 Laya Saul

Ingredients:

Gefilte fish in a prepared, frozen roll or loaf

Onions

Lemon juice (optional)

Cider vinegar

Olive oil (or other oil)

Salt (optional)

Pepper

Garlic granules (optional)

Dried or fresh basil

Tomato paste thinned to a thick sauce

Instructions:

Take the fish loaf out of the freezer so it begins to thaw

Peel and slice onion into rings

Line a loaf pan with sliced onion rings

Remove the parchment from around the loaf

Place in the loaf pan

Drizzle the lemon, vinegar, and oil over the fish loaf

~about a few table spoons of liquid per ingredient, there should be a little puddle of liquid at the bottom of the pan

Sprinkle the pepper, salt, garlic, and basil onto the loaf

Spread/pour the tomato paste so that the top of the loaf is covered completely

Bake uncovered at a medium temperature ~350 F or number 5.5 European for about 30 minutes uncovered.

Then cover and bake for another 30 minutes. If your oven doesn’t bake things well, you can leave it in to continue to bake a bit longer. (As long as you don’t burn it, it will be fine to bake for longer.)

This finished recipe takes a while to cool. When it has cooled enough to handle, cut into slices and arrange on a serving plate. Arrange the onions around the fish slices. If there is sauce at the bottom, drizzle it over the slices.

It can be served warm or cold from the fridge.