Gefilte fish

I first ate gefilte fish in the UK, and didn’t realise that in most of the world they are poached, not fried. It’s a British-Jewish thing to fry them, apparently. Having tried both, I’m definitely team fried gefilte fish, though I can take them or leave them.

I can recall Beulah serving gefilte fish only a couple of times. As a fish hater she may have opted to buy them in, though that wasn’t her style. I’d usually encounter them on platters at catered Jewish events, where little Lyra (another fish hater) would mistake them for falafel.

This recipe was in among Beulah’s handwritten ones. I was intrigued by the pinch of cinnamon and gave it a go. I don’t think I’ve eaten fresh gefilte fish before – they were delicious, warm, light and sort of fluffy.

Gefilte fish

• 450g white fish
• 1 egg
• 1 medium onion, diced
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp sugar
• salt and pepper
• 50g matzoh meal, more if needed
• neutral oil for deep frying

1. Pat the fish dry with paper towel. Pulse in a food processor until it is finely chopped and transfer to a mixing bowl.
2. Puree the egg, onion, cinnamon, sugar, salt and pepper in a food processor until smooth.
3. Add the purée to the minced fish and combine well.
4. Add matzoh meal to make the mixture thick enough to form into 12–18 balls, depending how large you want to make them. Keep a bit of mixture aside to test the oil.
5. Heat an inch of oil in a saucepan over a medium flame. Add a pinch of the mixture to the oil. If it floats immediately, the oil is hot enough.
6. Fry the balls in batches, for about 5 minutes or until golden. Drain well on paper towels.
7. Serve at room temperature with horseradish sauce or chrain.

Tags: British food, Jewish food