Gobbling Up Gefilte Fish
Passover always recharges my addiction to late night snacks of gefilte fish (and throw a little Frank's hot sauce on the top.) I grew up, nurtured not by home-cooked gefilte recipes--alas, my grandmother, who supposedly made a mean batch, died before I was born--but by beloved "family" jars (Rokeach, Manischevitz, et.)
The thing is--I still love the bottled stuff--my current favorite being Rokeach (no sugar--I hate them when they're sweet.) I once tried Citarella's home-made stuff. "They had the best," they promised. Uh uh. Didn't come near the joy of the bottled fish. I notice in a thread two years ago that Zabar's was suggested, so I'll definitely give them a try.
But--I welcome all suggestions as to where to find the best gefilte fish (bottled or fresh.) I know the "best" would be if I made it from scratch. But failing that, what would you recommend?
Lynn
Apr 11, 2001 11:08AM
Lynn: I had gefilte fish for the first time at a Passover Seder when I was in Florida recently. My theory, before tasting it, was that absolutely anything would taste good by that time in the meal when we actually got to eat something! But I really liked it! We had very good horseradish to eat with it and I ate every morsel. I don't think it was homemade, a fairly complicated process, I'd imagine. It most likely came from a local deli, but good nonetheless. pat
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Pat, making gefilte fish is not complicated, but it does take s while, since the fish patties have to poach for some time. I can only bring myself to do it every other year, which gives me a chance to forget this!
My recipe, by the way, acquired a certain kind of noteriety. I kept it originally on a time-shared computer, and due to some system gremlin, it appeared in the "final" draft of someone's PhD thesis! Lots of comments from the committee about fishy results.
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Sounds like a red herring to me! pat
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And then there's the eternal question: hot or cold? I am very happy eating the cold stuff out of the jar with horseradish, but my mother-in-law makes homemade for her Seders, and her family eats them hot. Heating them up just makes them taste and smell fishy to me.
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I have never heard of eating gefilte fish hot. But I suspect it is rarely done because there are so many other hot dishes to prepare for holiday meals, when it is generally served.
I think that the main separating point, beyond sweet or not, is the fish(es) from which it is constructed. The two main camps are whitefish and carp. There are the purists (I am a carp purist) and those who use a mixture. The choice is the main determiner of the texture, as well as the taste.
For those of you who are in the carp camp, and who do not mind a sweeter version, I recommend the Israeli-made Galil brand, carried at both Fairways. I found it though a reference in the NYTimes. It comes in a flat can, rather like sardines. Each can contains four pieces. It has become part of our emergency rations, with a can in the refrig at almost all times.
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Now there is the ultimate bagel topper! Fresh chive cheese and a nice piece carp. Breath be damned! Blows whitefish away. Can you even buy a piece of carp at the deli anymore?
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Pat, your comment about the long, hungry Seder is soooo true. My sister and I were just howling the other night, remembering Seders past, where even the commemorative parsley on the table caused feverous hunger, after waiting through our uncle's lovely--but long--family Seder.
Specifically recalled was the night my mother, no drinker, decided to sip all her Manischevitz at the appropriate intervals. (She later said she was so darn hungry from waiting--that the sweet wine began to taste like food!!) Unfortunately, although we finally filled up on solids hours after the start of the Seder, our drive home at about midnight was remembered for all the sudden stops Mom's stomach demanded on the Cross Island Parkway. Like a canine, she marked her territory all the way from the Bronx to Malverne.
Ah, the stories that become the family legends. Still so funny to recall.
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I used to buy it from Citarella when I lived on the upper West side, and I found it to be excellent. I grew up on the bottled stuff, too, but I much preferred Citarella's. I made it once, and that was even better, but quite involved.
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Second Ave. Deli used to make very good gefilte fish. I haven't tried it in a few years.
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got ours at Murray's Sturgeon Shop this year (B'way and 90th St.). It was delicious. Still getting through the leftovers.
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I'm still craving the kind that comes in a big block - not individual pieces. Isn't there someplace on the lower east side I could get it?
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Not the LES, but Zabar's was advertizing it.
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For the past several years, my wife, friends, and I have undertaken an annual pre-Passover survey to identify the BEST gefilte fish available in Manhattan. Here are some of the stand-outs:
Jake's Fish Market
Second Avenue Deli
Zabar's (sweet style)
Although they boast a quality product, the gefilte fish available at Citeralla is essentially tasteless. IMHO, Second Avenue Deli offers gefilte fish unparalleled in its excellence.
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I absolutely agree with DJacob. Can I invite myself along the next time you undertake the gefilte fish survey?
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Not sure what happened the last time you tried, but I highly recommend Citarella's gefilte fish. Just had it the other day. I have shopped around, and they are the best and fairest prices. By far.
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