Jewish Light Online

Food columnist Margi Lenga Kahn (right) makes gefilte fish with her mother, Ann Lenga. Gefilte fish is a traditional food among Ashkenazi Jews, dating back to the Middle Ages. Photo: Kristi Foster

I have such fond memories of Passover growing up: searching for and burning the chometz (leavened foods) with my father, unwrapping that familiar hodgepodge of Passover dishes and silverware, feeling the joy and passion of my father leading our seders, and, of course, feasting on my mother's fabulous seder meal, including the best gefilte fish ever.

And, alas, I have one not so fond memory: the pungent odor of cooking gefilte fish, an odor that seemed to linger long after we had rewrapped those dishes and silverware for the next Passover. That was one memory that I swore would never be renewed in my own home.

My parents came to this country from Poland, where my grandmothers prepared gefilte fish for Passover and for many Shabbat meals. It is a tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages and is unique to Ashkenazi Jews. Because the fish is mixed with other ingredients, a little bit goes a long way. Gefilte fish was thus economical and, because it could be prepared a day in advance, the perfect meal for observant Jews.

Gefilte fish (gefullte in German) literally means stuffed fish. Fresh water fish, such as pike and carp, were available and less expensive than most other types of fish in Eastern Europe and, therefore, this combination was the one that most cooks used to make their gefilte fish.

No part of the fish could be wasted. First, the fish were filleted. The remaining heads and bones were simmered in water with onions and carrots to create a rich stock. The fillets were then ground or finely chopped along with some vegetables and mixed with eggs, spices, and matzo meal or ground almonds. Polish Jews preferred a sweeter gefilte fish. Lithuanian Jews opted for fish with lots of black pepper.

This seasoned mixture was then stuffed back into the skin and heads of the fish, and simmered in the rich fish stock. The gefullte fish was traditionally served in slices along with the jellied broth, known as fish yoch.

Today, many cooks skip the gefullte part and, instead, form patties from the ground fish mixture. This preparation resembles the fish that is available in jars and cans on our grocer's shelves around the holidays.

"My Bubbe used to make her gefilte fish from scratch every Passover," Candy Stucken-schneider told me, "and after she died my mother bought jarred fish and re-cooked it with some carrots and onions. It just never tasted the same. Our generation," she continued, "is looking for the taste we had as kids."

For the past decade, Candy has been a loyal customer of Rizzo's on Olive Boulevard in University City. She is hardly alone, since Rizzo's sells more than 700 pounds of fish for the Passover holiday, according to owner Mark Grinberg. Candy buys a traditional mixture of whitefish and pike, and then makes her own gefilte fish balls at home.

"This is my contribution to our family seders," she said. "Gefilte fish just the way my Bubbe made it. I enjoy carrying on that family tradition."

I agree with Candy. So, fighting back memories of lingering fish odors, and with my mother Ann Lenga at my side, I decided to make my own gefilte fish this year.

While I would ordinarily stick to tradition on something as hallowed as gefilte fish, my friend Barb at Bob's Seafood in Olivette, helped me think outside the box — or here, outside the jar — when it comes to the primary ingredient.

"Think about it," she told me, "gefilte fish can be made from any kind of firm fish, not just pike, carp, and whitefish."

To prove her point, she suggested I use salmon and cod along with three large fish heads and their carcasses.

"Salmon is a great source of omega-3 oils," Barb told me, "and the color will give your gefilte fish a beautiful hue."

She and Tony, a longtime employee at Bob's, offered some other useful tips. "Wrap the heads and bones and skins in tied cheesecloth packets," they suggested, "and float them in the water for the fish stock. You'll avoid the messy task of straining your stock."

"Then," they continued, "put the cheesecloth packets into zip-lock bags, put the bags into the freezer, and throw them out the next day. "

As Barb explained, "You'll be minimizing the fish odor in both your house and your trash can!"

I'm pleased to report that my gefilte fish was a beautiful blushed tan color and had a clean, fresh taste. My mother even gave me her seal of approval. After feasting on some of the fish that night at dinner, I put the remaining fish and broth together in a covered dish and stored the dish in my freezer until Passover.

Ah, yes, and that smell? It was 28 degrees the day we cooked our fish — too cold to open all the windows. We did burn scented candles and took Tony's other bit of advice to simmer a potpourri of cinnamon sticks, cloves, ginger, and some lemon peel in a pan of water alongside the fish pot. Honestly, though, my house still reeked of fish. However, the odors were gone the next day — a small price to pay for delicious gefilte fish and a chance to revisit wonderful childhood memories.

Whether you choose to try my recipe, or stick to a more traditional one, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how easy the process is. While the concept of homemade gefilte fish is intimidating, the reality is not. To further cut down on the work and, I would imagine, the odors, you could opt for using commercially canned or frozen fish stock or chicken stock in which to cook your fish.

Rinse fish heads and bones, wrap in cheesecloth and place in a large stockpot. Add salt and cover with cold water. Bring mixture to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes. Skim foam from the top of the water and discard.

Tie bay leaves, onions, and celery in a piece of cheesecloth. Add to the water along with carrots, black pepper, and sugar. Stir. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1-1 1/2 hours.

While stock cooks, cut cod and salmon into 2-inch chunks. Place fish into a large glass dish and sprinkle evenly with 2 1/2 tbsp. salt. Cover dish and refrigerate for 45 minutes.

If using a grinder, grind fish, carrot, and onions into a large bowl. (If using a food processor, place half of each of the fish, carrot, and onions in processor bowl and pulse machine until mixture is finely ground. Scrape into a large bowl and repeat process with remaining fish, carrot, and onions. Add to first mixture in bowl.)

Add sugar, eggs, and water and mix to incorporate. Sprinkle with matzo meal and mix gently, but thoroughly, to combine.

Set a small bowl of cold water alongside bowl of fish mixture. Dip hands in water and then gather a 3- 4-inch ball of fish mixture, forming mixture into a ball or an oval patty.

Gently drop fish into stock. Bring stock to a boil, partially cover pot, and reduce temperature to a simmer. Continue simmering fish for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, remove fish from pot and place in a large, rectangular Pyrex dish. Top each piece of fish with one or two slices of carrot. Spoon enough fish stock over fish until almost covered. Cover with plastic wrap or foil paper and refrigerate overnight. (Once completely cooled, fish may be frozen in fish stock for 1 month.) Makes 24-28 fish balls.

Margi Lenga Kahn is a cooking instructor at the Kitchen Conservatory, she is currently working on a project to preserve the stories and recipes of heritage cooks. She welcomes your comments and suggestions at margikahn@gmail.com.

PASSIONATE PALATE | Gefilte goodness

New twist on the Passover staple