Gefilte Fish

gefilte fish an item of Jewish food which has changed considerably from the original version, which involved taking a fish such as pike or carp, gutting it, carefully extracting everything from inside the skin, mincing the flesh (freed from bones), and stuffing it back into the skin. This made it suitable for use on the sabbath, when Jews are not supposed to pick over their food, as they would have to do if the fish still contained bones.

Nowadays gefilte have become something like fish balls or the French quenelles de brochet. To make them, the fish (which could still be carp or pike but are now, at least in many Jewish communities, more often sea fish) are cleaned, then freed of skin and bone, chopped, mixed with other ingredients (e.g. onion, and always including matzo meal), formed into balls or torpedo-shaped patties, and poached. The chilled cooking liquid is used to coat the balls, like aspic. The dish is usually served cold with the accompaniment chrain, a beetroot and horseradish sauce.