How do you make frozen gefilte fish taste homemade?

csfm

Sun, Jan 17 2010, 1:51 pm

My mother has always made our big family her sweet, Polish-style, and very delicious gefilte fish (with lots of carrots, because one of my daughters really loves carrots) for Shabbos and Yom Tovim. I would like to help out by occasionally doing it myself (although not from scratch just yet; it's too much work for me, right now). I have heard that prepackaged, frozen gefilte fish (e.g., Ungar's sweet recipe) can be delicious, too, but have never made it myself. Besides doing whatever the package directs, do you do anything special to make it more like homemade? I am particularly interested in how to add lots of sliced carrots that won't turn out tasting almost raw. Advice, anyone? Thanks so much.

5S5Sr7z3

Sun, Jan 17 2010, 1:54 pm

I dont particularly care for fish, but I do make it for DH. I just dump it into a pot w/ onions, sugar, salt and pepper, and let it cook for 1 1/2 hours. That should be long enough to cook the carrots thoroughly.

csfm

Sun, Jan 17 2010, 1:57 pm

Thanks! Forgive my lack of know-how, but could you please give me an approximate idea of how much sugar, etc.? I have seldom cooked fish (and never in a pot on the stove), so really haven't a clue. Thanks again.

Ruchel

Sun, Jan 17 2010, 1:57 pm

Homemade doesn't mean good. As long as it's good, you're doing fine!

5S5Sr7z3

Sun, Jan 17 2010, 2:20 pm

about 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon salt, about 1/2-3/4 tablespoon black pepper, 2 onions. I have no idea how this tastes as I wont touch fish LOL but hubby keeps raving about it so I take his word for it.

MetroMom

Wed, Jan 20 2010, 3:55 am

AnnahFM wrote:

This is how I make it. It's delicious and sweet; very homemade tasting! Put a pot 2/3 filled with water on a medium flame. While it's starting to cook up, add 1 large onion chopped, 3 carrots cut into 3 or 4, 1 sweet potato cut in half, 2 celery stalks cut in half. Then you add the gefilte fish rolls. I usually use A&B original but you can use whichever you like. Do not defrost before use! Put the rolls in with the opening of the paper wrapping side down! Add LARGE amounts of Garlic powder and Paprika to the pot. (I'm estimating about 2-3 Heaping Tablespoons.) Add Black Pepper and a pinch of Salt. Add alot of Sugar. I usually just pour, but if I had to guess, I would estimate it to be a little more than a cup. Cook for 2 hours on a medium flame with the cover almost on....I put the cover on a bit of an angle so that it's open a bit. Here comes the important part: After 2 hours, take the pot off the fire, put the cover on completely, and let it sit about 2 hours, cooling off in the pot you cooked it in. Then move the rolls to a 9x13 pan, add some of the liquid to the pan. Not too much...perhaps 1/4 to 1/2 inch up the pan. Take off the paper wrapping of the fish and discard. Add to the pan some carrots, and some sweet potato (if you have someone to eat it). Cover well and refrigerate. When you serve it you can slice fish and the carrots, adding a carrot slice to each slice of fish. The carrots will be very soft. Bon apetit.

Mrs.K

Wed, Jan 20 2010, 4:20 am

I make mine similarly with lots of carrots, lots of sugar, salt, pepper, & garlic.

2 things to note, when the fish is ready, take it out of the pot and take off the paper immediately to avoid the fish getting soggy.

Also, you have to make sure to start with a quality loaf. Here in Israel especially, some of the fish loaves, while cheap, cannot be helped by even the best of recipes.

Boys"R"Us

Thu, Jan 21 2010, 12:51 am

You can partially defrost the loaf. Remove wrap.
Then peel a long, but not too thick carrot, and push it carefully through the loaf.

Then place the raw loaf with carrot (no paper), in an oven-safe container, pour tomato sauce on top, and bake at 350F for about 1 1/2 hours.

When you slice the loaf, there is a slice of carrot in the centre of each slice of fish!

~Debbie

cookielady

Thu, Jan 21 2010, 1:01 am

Boys"R"Us wrote:

What a good idea!

Boys"R"Us

Thu, Jan 21 2010, 8:08 pm

cookielady wrote:

What a good idea!

Thanks