Salmon Gefilte Fish Mold with Horseradish and Beet Sauce

Salmon Gefilte Fish Mold with Horseradish and Beet Sauce
Salmon Gefilte Fish Mold with Horseradish and Beet Sauce
For centuries, Jewish women schlepped to the fish market, choosing the best fish “by the look in its eyes” before transforming it into the quintessential Sabbath gefilte fish. Using a wooden bowl and a half-moon-shaped chopper, they cut up the fish with onions, crying a little, chopping a little, until the mix was just the right consistency, later to be shaped into ovals or balls and poached in fish broth. Today, cooks often turn to commercially prepared frozen loaves of ground fish, sometimes even spiked with jalapeños or almonds and raisins. These new, more American flavors are rapidly replacing the more distinctively fishy blends made from carp, whitefish, and pike, and have a smooth texture that indicates they have never felt the blade of a hand chopper. Although gefilte innovation like the first jarred fish and the frozen loaves are taking over now, I still, as with many things, prefer the taste of homemade that I make twice a year for Passover and Rosh Hashanah. Before Passover, at what we call a “gefilte-in,” friends assemble in my kitchen with their own pots, fish, carrots, eggs, and matzo meal to make these old-fashioned fish patties. For Rosh Hashanah, I make a light, circular fish terrine that looks beautiful and has the components of gefilte fish, but is much easier to make, baked in a Bundt or tube pan in a bain-marie. This is also a great make-ahead recipe, as it requires several hours of refrigeration before serving. Turned out onto a platter and featured as one of many foods at a buffet, it is always a big success. Even those who swear they would never eat gefilte fish come back for seconds, provided you serve horseradish sauce with it.
  • Preparing Time: -
  • Total Time: -
  • Served Person: 15–20 slices
Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur Passover Kosher Kosher for Passover Jewish Fish Salmon Cod Egg Dill Appetizer
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 pounds (907 grams) salmon fillets
  • 1 pound (453 grams) cod, flounder, rockfish, or whitefish
  • 3 medium red onions, peeled and diced (about 2 pounds/907 grams)
  • 4 tablespoons matzo meal
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and grated
  • 4 tablespoons snipped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
  • 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
  • parsley, for garnish
  • horseradish and beet sauce
  • Carbohydrate 8 g(3%)
  • Cholesterol 82 mg(27%)
  • Fat 11 g(16%)
  • Fiber 1 g(5%)
  • Protein 17 g(35%)
  • Saturated Fat 2 g(11%)
  • Sodium 359 mg(15%)
  • Calories 198

Preparation Have your fish store grind the fillets or pulse them yourself, one at a time, in a food processor or meat grinder. If using a food processor, pulse the fish in short bursts, being careful not to purée the fish—you want some texture. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan and fill a larger pan (such as a large Pyrex dish) with 2 inches of hot water. In a large pan over medium-high heat, sauté the diced onions in the oil for about 5 minutes, until soft and transparent but not brown. Set aside to cool. Put the fish, onions, eggs, 2 cups (470 ml) water, matzo meal, carrots, 4 tablespoons dill, salt, pepper, mustard, and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer equipped with a flat beater. Beat at medium speed for 10 minutes. Pour the mixture into the Bundt or tube pan, then put the pan inside the larger water-filled dish (called a bain-marie). Smooth the top with a spatula. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour, or until the center is solid. Remove the Bundt or tube pan from the water dish, then allow the terrine to cool slightly for at least 20 minutes. Slide a long knife around the outer and inner edges of the Bundt or tube pan, then carefully invert the terrine onto a flat serving plate. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. If any water accumulates on the serving dish, carefully drain it away before serving. Slice the terrine as you would a torte and serve as an appetizer, garnished with parsley and dill and served with Horseradish and Beet Sauce. Leftovers keep for up to 5 days. Excerpted from King Solomon's Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking From Around the World by Joan Nathan. Copyright © 2017 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Buy the full book from Amazon.

Preparation Have your fish store grind the fillets or pulse them yourself, one at a time, in a food processor or meat grinder. If using a food processor, pulse the fish in short bursts, being careful not to purée the fish—you want some texture. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan and fill a larger pan (such as a large Pyrex dish) with 2 inches of hot water. In a large pan over medium-high heat, sauté the diced onions in the oil for about 5 minutes, until soft and transparent but not brown. Set aside to cool. Put the fish, onions, eggs, 2 cups (470 ml) water, matzo meal, carrots, 4 tablespoons dill, salt, pepper, mustard, and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer equipped with a flat beater. Beat at medium speed for 10 minutes. Pour the mixture into the Bundt or tube pan, then put the pan inside the larger water-filled dish (called a bain-marie). Smooth the top with a spatula. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour, or until the center is solid. Remove the Bundt or tube pan from the water dish, then allow the terrine to cool slightly for at least 20 minutes. Slide a long knife around the outer and inner edges of the Bundt or tube pan, then carefully invert the terrine onto a flat serving plate. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. If any water accumulates on the serving dish, carefully drain it away before serving. Slice the terrine as you would a torte and serve as an appetizer, garnished with parsley and dill and served with Horseradish and Beet Sauce. Leftovers keep for up to 5 days. Excerpted from King Solomon's Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking From Around the World by Joan Nathan. Copyright © 2017 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Buy the full book from Amazon.