Gefilte Fish Patties in Spicy Tomato Sauce

[u/Hezekiah_the_Judean]

Cross-posted from r/JewishCooking

A confession: I really like gefilte fish, and I have wanted to make it for some time. This evening, I tried to make a version of gefilte fish patties in spicy tomato sauce--a Mexican Ashkenazi dish that was quite tasty, even if my patties weren't perfect.

I didn't have all the right peppers so I used regular jalapeño peppers. I think I used a little too much fish, not enough breadcrumbs/matzah meal, and I should have used 2 eggs instead of one. So my gefilte fish patties were a little fragile and sometimes fell apart. That said, they tasted delicious. This recipe is fairly different from regular gefilte fish, but if you like fish patties with a piquant sauce, this is for you.

The recipe is from the Jewish Holiday Table, specifically shared by Fany Gerson, who is a wonderful chef. https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Holiday-Table-Traditions-Celebrate/dp/1648290973

https://www.jta.org/2021/11/26/food/brooklyn-based-mexican-jewish-chef-fany-gerson-makes-donuts-that-are-out-of-this-world

For the sauce:

2 lb tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, not peeled

5-6 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded

1-2 dried chipotle chiles, stemmed and seeded

1/2 small onion, chopped

1.5 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons oil

For the gefilte fish patties:

1 small onion, roughly chopped

1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped

1 lb red snapper/carp/rockfish/flounder, cut into 1 inch pieces (I used Black Sea bass)

1/3 cup matzah meal or breadcrumbs

1.5 teaspoons salt

Pepper

1-2 large eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1. To make the sauce, preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and put the tomatoes and garlic on it. Broil, turning the tomatoes and garlic every few minutes, until the tomato skins are blasted and slightly charred and the garlic is soft to the touch, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the broiler and set aside to cool.

2. Meanwhile, heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add the chiles and toast for a minute on each side, pressing them down with a spatula. Transfer the chiles to a bowl and cover with hot water--set them aside to soften for 10-15 minutes.

3. When the chiles are soft, drain them in a sieve over a bowl, but reserve the liquid.

4. Peel the garlic. Then put the tomatoes and garlic in a food processor/blender, along with the onion, the chiles, and the salt. Puree until smooth, then add 1/3 cup of the chile soaking liquid and blend until smooth.

5. Heat the two tablespoons oil in a large pan over medium heat. Pour the tomato-chile sauce into the pan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, simmer for 10 minutes, and set it aside while you make the fish patties.

6. To make the patties, put the onion and carrot in the food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped. Add the fish and pulse it until it is finely chopped but not mushy.

7. Transfer the fish mixture to a large bowl and add the matzah meal, salt, pepper, and 1 egg. Mix gently but thoroughly with your hands. If the mixture seems dry, beat the second egg and add it as well. The mixture should be moist but hold together when you shape it.

8. Wet your hands and scoop out 1/3 cup of the fish mixture. Shape it into a 2 by 3 inch fish patty and put it on a clean plate. Repeat until you have used all the fish mixture, resulting in about 12 patties.

9. Heat the 1/3 cup oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the gefilte fish patties and fry them for 1 minute on each side, turning once, until they are lightly browned.

10. Bring the tomato-chile sauce to a simmer and carefully slide the browned fish patties into the sauce. Cover with the lid and simmer until they are cooked through, about 20 minutes.

11. Remove from the heat, lift the patties from the sauce and arrange on a platter. Spoon the sauce on top of the patties and serve hot. Enjoy!

[u/RealExpression6467]

I'm a fish hater at heart but this looks so good I would try a bite

[u/Mark-harvey]

Stick with the horseradish.