Gefilte fish with vegetables
8 servings
120 minutes
Gefilte fish with vegetables is a classic dish of Jewish cuisine with a rich history and deep traditions. Originally prepared in Ashkenazi families for holidays and Sabbath feasts, it embodies the care and warmth of home. Tender carp patties wrapped in their own skin simmer with aromatic vegetables like onions, carrots, and beets, creating a rich, slightly sweet flavor with subtle spicy notes. Honey and spices add special depth to the broth while the delicate texture of the fish patties makes the dish incredibly comforting to eat. Gefilte fish is traditionally served with broth and vegetables, complemented by horseradish or mustard. It is not just food but a story that conveys cultural heritage and family warmth with every bite.
1
Clean the carp from scales and gut it.
- Carp: 4 kg
2
Cut off the head and slice the fish into pieces 3-4 cm thick. Remove and save the fins and tails.
- Carp: 4 kg
3
Remove the skin from the resulting fish steaks without damaging it.
- Carp: 4 kg
4
Cut the fish meat off the bones and grind it through a meat grinder.
- Carp: 4 kg
5
Cut the crust off the loaf, dice it into large cubes, and soak in milk.
- Loaf: 0.5 piece
- Honey: 1 tablespoon
6
Pass 3 onions and 3 cloves of garlic through a meat grinder.
- Onion: 1 kg
- Garlic: 6 cloves
7
Add an egg, squeezed bread, salt, pepper, and mix well.
- Loaf: 0.5 piece
- Salt: to taste
8
Line the bottom of the pot with onion skins, as well as the tails, fins, and bones left from fish preparation.
- Onion: 1 kg
9
Slice the onion, carrot, and beet into rings about 5 mm thick. Layer the vegetables in the pot on top of the peel.
- Onion: 1 kg
- Carrot: 500 g
- Beet: 500 g
10
Start shaping the cutlets. Place a piece of prepared fish skin on the board, take some minced meat, slightly beat it, place it on the skin and wrap it around.
11
Place the patties in the pot. Continue shaping and placing them in the pot this way. To prevent the patties from sticking together, place vegetables between them.
12
When one layer of patties is ready, cover it with vegetables and continue layering patties on top.
13
If the skin is finished and there is still minced meat left, shape fish balls from it and place them in the pot.
14
Add the remaining vegetables, bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic, a spoon of honey, and salt. Carefully pour in water along the side of the pot. The water should fill the pot to ¾ of its contents. Place the pot on medium heat; when the water starts to simmer, reduce the heat to medium, cover with a lid and cook for 1.5–2 hours.
- Bay leaf: 2 pieces
- Black peppercorns: 12 pieces
- Garlic: 6 cloves
- Honey: 1 tablespoon
- Salt: to taste
15
Serve the ready gefilte fish with broth and vegetables.