Gefilte Fish with Carrots
Fine-textured Arctic char and striped bass patties, gently poached and chilled with carrot coins.
- Original yieldYield
- 12 small patties; 6 starter portions12 small patties6 starter portions
- PrepPrep time
- CookCook time
- TotalTotal time
Estimated: 30 minutes preparation, 15 minutes simmering vegetables, 30 minutes poaching, up to 30 minutes initial cooling and at least 12 hours refrigerated chilling.
Published
Original recipe: 12 small patties; 6 starter portions
The story behind the recipe
The carrot coin on top marks a small oval of finely chopped fish. Inside, Arctic char gives the mixture a faint pink color, while striped bass supplies the leaner part of the blend. A gentle poach sets each patty before its overnight chill.
A fine texture
The fish is processed with egg, matzo meal, grated vegetables and cold water. The aim is a smooth, cohesive mixture that can be shaped with wet hands, rather than visible flakes held in a loose fish cake. These patties are poached, not fried.
Read more about this recipe
A modern fish choice
This recipe is adapted from Liz Galst's version published by Jewish Food Society. Her account identifies an earlier family mixture of pike and whitefish and a later choice of Arctic char and striped bass. Her fish choices give these patties their particular color and blend.
Our smaller batch retains her two-to-one ratio of char to bass. Skin and bones are removed before weighing. A whole fish on the shop scale wouldn't give the stated amount of prepared flesh, and a different species mixture could change the result.
Gefilte is associated with stuffed fish, although the familiar separate shaped portions are prepared without refilling a fish skin. Here the chopping and shaping are the techniques to watch. Seasoning varies between families and communities; this version has no added sugar.
Poaching without a rolling boil
The water should move gently around the patties. A vigorous boil knocks them about while their egg-and-fish mixture is setting. Space in a broad pot helps the cook lower and lift them without breaking their edges.
Carrot coins and sliced onion flavor the poaching water. This is a lighter, simpler liquid than the fish-bone stock in Galst's published recipe. It stays a light liquid after chilling, instead of setting into the firm jelly that a rich fish stock can produce.
Chill before arranging
Plan for the refrigerated rest before choosing this as a starter. The patties are cooked the day before serving, cooled briefly and transferred to shallow containers with their liquid. An overnight chill is part of the schedule, not an optional pause omitted from the total time.
Lift the cold patties carefully and set one carrot coin on each. A small plate with two ovals makes a starter portion. Spoon a little of the cool poaching liquid around them to keep the surface moist.
Buy for the intended table
Use plain matzo meal, not coarse pieces of broken matzo or an assumed equal amount of potato starch. For Passover, the meal and other ingredients must meet the intended household's requirements; this preparation includes moistened matzo meal. Kosher suitability also depends on ingredient sourcing and equipment, beyond the recipe's name.
Explore the historical background and companion recipes in Time, Texture and Tradition: Jewish Cooking Techniques Across the Ages.
Make it your wayOriginal: 6 servings · Makes 12 small patties; 6 starter portions
Original recipe: 12 small patties; 6 starter portions
Ingredients
For 12 small patties; 6 starter portions. Quantities are shown as written.
Source measurement convention: Metric. Explicit unit definitions take precedence; unconfirmed measures must be checked before conversion.
Original quantities for 12 small patties; 6 starter portions.
- Arctic char fillet, skinless and boneless weight, chilled400 g
- Striped bass fillet, skinless and boneless weight, chilled200 g
- Large egg1
- Plain matzo meal40 g
- Onion, peeled weight, finely grated40 g
- Carrot, peeled weight, finely grated30 g
- Cold water40 ml
- Fine salt1/2 tsp
- Ground black pepper1/8 tsp
- Carrots, peeled weight, cut into 6 mm coins250 g
- Onion, peeled weight, sliced150 g
- Water, for poaching1.5 l
Measurement notes
- fine salt, ground black pepper: US tsp: 1 = 4.9289 ml (rounded).
Measurement notes
Original ingredients
- 400 g Arctic char fillet, skinless and boneless weight, chilled
- 200 g striped bass fillet, skinless and boneless weight, chilled
- 1 large egg
- 40 g plain matzo meal
- 40 g onion, peeled weight, finely grated
- 30 g carrot, peeled weight, finely grated
- 40 ml cold water
- 1/2 US tsp fine saltUS tsp: 1 = 4.9289 ml (rounded).
- 1/8 US tsp ground black pepperUS tsp: 1 = 4.9289 ml (rounded).
- 250 g carrots, peeled weight, cut into 6 mm coins
- 150 g onion, peeled weight, sliced
- 1.5 L water, for poaching
Equipment
Food processor
Large heavy pot or Dutch oven
Box grater
Food thermometer
Instructions
Simmer the poaching vegetables
Put the carrot coins, sliced onion and 1.5 L poaching water in a broad covered pot of at least 4 liters capacity. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 15 minutes.
Process the chilled fish mixture
Meanwhile, check the char and bass carefully for pin bones. Cut into small pieces and process with the egg, matzo meal, grated onion, grated carrot, 40 ml cold water, salt and pepper, scraping the bowl as needed, until finely ground and cohesive. Keep the mixture refrigerated if the liquid isn't ready. Don't taste it raw.
Shape twelve fish ovals
Wet your hands and divide the mixture into twelve equal oval patties, roughly 65 g each at the original yield. Lower them carefully into the barely simmering liquid in a single loose layer; use a second pot if needed rather than stacking them tightly. The liquid should surround the patties; add hot water if necessary to cover.
Poach the patties gently
Partially cover and poach at a very gentle simmer for about 30 minutes. Check that the centers reach 160°F (71°C) and the carrot coins are tender. Lift carefully into shallow food-safe containers with the carrots and enough poaching liquid to keep them moist.
Cool promptly and refrigerate
Allow steam to subside briefly, no more than 30 minutes, then refrigerate promptly at 40°F (4°C) or below. Chill for at least 12 hours. Don't leave the whole pot on the counter to cool overnight.
Arrange the chilled fish and carrots
Serve cold, two patties per starter portion at the original yield, with one carrot coin on each and a spoonful of the poaching liquid. Return the remaining fish to the refrigerator promptly.
Estimated calories 130 kcal
Nutrition portion: 1/6 of recipe · Original yield: 12 small patties; 6 starter portions
Source & assumptions
Ingredient-based estimate using Matvaretabellen Arctic char, USDA striped bass and plain matzo, CoFID ingredients and published boiled-fish retention factors. About 130 kcal per nutrition portion: two patties with two carrot coins and a 15 ml spoonful of poaching liquid. Uses representative 3 g carrot slices and a 1.5 L finished-broth model, with all binder energy and a conservative vegetable-extraction allowance. Actual coin sizes, broth reduction, fat distribution and preparation vary; this is not measured retention.
Recipe notes
When adjusting quantities
Keep the patties the same size. Use another poaching pot for a larger batch; the poaching time and overnight chill don't scale.
Original recipe notes
These notes describe the original recipe. Quantities mentioned here do not change when you adjust servings.
Adapted from Liz Galst's Gefilte Fish, Jewish Food Society. The char-to-bass ratio is retained in a smaller batch; egg, binder and vegetables use defined modern amounts, with lighter seasoning. Carrot-and-onion water replaces her fish-bone stock, so this version doesn't promise a set jelly. Check the egg-containing patties' center temperature as well as following the published gentle-poaching approach.
Contains fish, eggs and wheat in the matzo meal. Keep raw fish chilled during preparation and refrigerate cooked portions promptly; discard perishables left out longer than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C). For kosher or Passover preparation, source appropriate fish and processed ingredients and follow the household's equipment and matzo-meal practice.
Read the scaling guide. Times, temperatures and equipment need their own consideration. Open the recipe tool to review and correct individual amounts.
Sources and attribution
Adapted from Liz Galst's Gefilte Fish, published by Jewish Food Society.
Recipe details
- Course or meal
- Appetizer
- Cuisine
- Jewish
- Cooking method
- Stovetop
- Browse category
- Main Dishes