[b said:
Quote[/b] (Trapper7 @ April 29 2005,12:41)]Jim I still wanna know what that other type of fish is.I'm gonna go look it up on the net now
*Niki*
You mean Gefilte fish?
GEFILTE FISH STORY by LAWRENCE SHERRY
Many times I have been upset by people who seem to think that gefilte fish issome kind of mixture you make in the kitchen rather than one of Hashem's creatures. This has led me to explain exactly what a gefilte fish is. So once again, here goes.
Each year as soon as the frost on the Great Gefilte Lakes (located Upstate New York somewhere in the Catskill Mountains) is thin enough to break the surface, Frum fishermen set out to "catch" gefilte fish. Now unlike your normal fish, gefilte fish cannot be caught with a rod and a reel or your standard bait. The art of catching gefilte fish was handed down for hundreds, maybe thousands of years. For all I know Moses used to go gefilte fish catching. I'm sure that the Great Rambam (Maimonides) when he wasn't busy playing doctor, spent his leisure time G/F fishing. Enough already, you say, so how is it done? Well you go up to the edge of lake with some Matzoh. Now this is very important!! It has to be Shmurah Matzoh or the fish will not be attracted. You stand at the edge of the lake and whistle and say "here boy," "here boy." The fish just can't resist the smell of the Matzoh. They come en masse to the edge of the lake where they jump into the jars and are bottled on the spot.
Again you must remember that there are two kinds of gefilte fish. The strong and the weak. The weak are your standard fish which are in a loose "broth" (it is actually the lake water). Now the strong are special. They seem to be in a "jell". These fish are actually imported from the Middle East where they are caught in the Dead Sea. They have to be strong to be able to swim through that "jell".
Last year, a well meaning gentleman tried to correct me by stating, "Reb, shouldn't they be saying 'Here Boychic!'" I didn't have the heart to tell him, Boychic is a Yiddish word and Gefilte Fish don't understand Yiddish! Only Hebrew and surprisingly, English! There has been a big debate as to whether to use the Hebrew or English in the US. With a big break from tradition, shockingly the English is accepted by almost all G/F fishermen. Some still insist on using the Hebrew and consider the use of "Here Boy" as Reform and not Halachicly acceptable. However the Congress of OU Rabbis (who have to be present at the lakes when the fish are bottled) uniformly accept "here boy"!
The time of the catch is very important! The fish cannot be caught before Purim is over or the fish are considered Chametz! Besides, the fish know when Pesach is coming and will not respond to the Matzoh before the proper time. I am still a little bothered by which end of the fish is the head and which the tail (not to mention that I am not sure where their eyes are). This is a small price to pay for the luxury of eating this delicacy.
Have you ever had the baby G/F? Oy, they are so cute that I feel a little guilty eating them! Have a great Pesach and hope that the Matzoh doesn't affect you like Pepto Bismol or worse yet, prunes!
Fish
1 whole buffalo (or other fatty fish)
1 whole salmon
1 whole walleye pike
Have the fish market fillet them and give you the bones and skin for
broth. At this time of year the fish market will probably grind the
fish for you too, which is an enormous time saver.
Broth
4 onions cut in half
4-6 stalks of celery (including leafy parts)
2 whole carrots
Fish bones and skin
Put above ingredients in the largest pot you own and cover it with
water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2-3 hours. This should make
a fairly rich stock.
Fish Balls
2 large onions, ground through a meat grinder
fish fillets ground through a meat grinder separately from the onions.
Sometimes the fish market will do this for you. Food processors
do not work well for this.
1 tsp sugar (optional)
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp salt
approximately 1/4 cup matzo meal
4 egg whites
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup extremely cold water
In a wooden bowl, using a round bladed chopper chop ground fish
and ground onions. Use a turning motion, working as much air in
a possible. (This is where the visual aids come in handy.) Chop
for about 10 minutes. Add matzo meal and spices and keep chopping
using the same motions (about 5 more minutes). Beat egg whites
until frothy (not stiff) and pour over the fish mixture. Beat egg
yolks well, add the very cold water and pour over fish mixture.
DO NOT MIX. Chop the mixture, adding more air, until eggs are well
worked in.
Strain fish broth and bring back to a gentle simmer. Make balls
of the fish mixture (handle as little as possible) and drop gentley
in broth. Peel and slice carrots into 1/4 inch rounds and add to
broth. Partially cover and simmer for about 2 hours. Turn the
balls occasionally if there are too many for them to turn on their
own.
When cooked, remove fish balls and place in a single layer in
storage containers. Remove carrot slices from broth and put one
carrot on each fish ball. Refrigerate.
Bring fish broth to a boil and boil lightly for about 3 hours, or
until reduced to 1/3 - 1/2 of its original volume. Pour reduces
broth over fish balls and refrigerate until cold and broth has
jelled. Serve cold with horse raddish.
Serves about 20 people with leftovers.
I don't think they're brackish!