page_title: Gefilte fish
section_title: Preparation and serving
hierarchical_section_title: Gefilte fish / Preparation and serving
caption_attribution_description: English: gefilte fish: East European Jewish dish for Shabbat and holidays - original cooking method: a whole fish stuffed Deutsch: gefilte Fisch: ostjüdisches Gericht für Schabbat und Feiertage - ursprüngliche Zubereitungsart: ganzer Fisch gefüllt
context_page_description: Gefilte fish is a dish made from a poached mixture of ground deboned fish, such as carp, whitefish, or pike. It is traditionally served as an appetizer by Ashkenazi Jewish households. Historically it consisted of a minced-fish forcemeat stuffed inside the intact fish skin. By the 16th century, cooks had started omitting the labor-intensive stuffing step, and the seasoned fish is most commonly formed into patties similar to quenelles or fish balls. These are popular on Shabbat and Jewish Holidays such as Passover, although they may be consumed throughout the year.
  In Poland, gefilte fish, referred to as karp po żydowsku, is a traditional dish in some Polish homes, served on Christmas Eve and on Holy Saturday.
context_section_description: Traditionally, carp, pike, mullet, or whitefish were used to make gefilte fish, but more recently other fish with white flesh such as Nile perch have been used, and there is a pink variation using salmon. There are even vegetarian variations. Fish fillets are ground with eggs and sometimes onion, bread or matza crumbs, and spices or salt, carrot and potato to produce a paste or dough which is then boiled in fish stock.
  Traditionally gefilte fish is cooked in large logs and then sliced for serving but sometimes it is cooked and served as egg-shaped patties, like quenelles. In the United Kingdom, gefilte fish is commonly fried. It is usually served cold or at room temperature. Each piece may be topped with a slice of carrot, and very often with a horseradish mixture called chrain on the side. Carrot is not served with spicy gefilte fish made with ground black pepper instead of carrot and potato.
  Due to the previous general poverty of the Jewish population in Europe and especially Eastern Europe, where the dish originated, an economical recipe also may have included finely ground and soaked matza meal or bread crumbs. This form of preparation eliminated the need for picking out fish bones at the table, and "stretched" the (expensive) fish further, so that even poor, large families could enjoy fish on Shabbat. Not only is picking bones religiously prohibited on the Sabbath, but many of the common fish used in the dish, such as carp, are exceptionally bony and difficult to eat in whole form. The fish bones can then be used in making fish stock.
  In Polish Catholic homes, gefilte fish (Polish: karp po żydowsku) is a traditional dish to be eaten on Christmas Eve and Holy Saturday, as these are traditionally meatless feasts. This follows a pattern in which a number of Jewish dishes were also eaten on Catholic religious days in Poland.
caption: Gefilte fish: whole stuffed and garnished fish
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