Wolfgang Pucks Gefilte Fish Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat.
• Add the celery, leeks, carrots, and a pinch of salt and white pepper, and sauté until the vegetables start to cook down.
• Add the cream and stir to coat the vegetables. Cook until the cream is thickened.
• Remove the pan from the heat.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out both sheets of puff pastry until they are ⅓-inch thick. Transfer one sheet of puff pastry to the baking sheet.
• Cut the sea bass along the back to remove the spine, then butterfly open. Season with salt, pepper, and the tarragon.
• Scoop the cooked vegetables onto one side of the fish, then fold over the other fillet.
• Transfer the fish to the center of the sheet of puff pastry.
• Brush egg wash around the fish, then lay on the second sheet of puff pastry, pressing around the fish to seal. Use a paring knife to cut away the excess puff pastry in the shape of a fish.
• Brush the top of the puff pastry with egg wash and use the leftover pastry scraps to decorate the fish with an eye and gills. Use the tip of the knife or the large opening of a pastry tip to draw scales on the body and tail.
• Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
• Make the Chive Butter Sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the wine, lemon juice, shallots, and tarragon. Reduce until only a ¼ cup (60 ml) of liquid remains. Add the cream and reduce until the mixture thickens slightly.
• Slowly whisk in the butter, 1 piece at a time, until the sauce is glossy and thickened.
• Remove the tarragon stem and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the chives.
• Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃). When the oven is heated. Bake the fish for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.
• Transfer the fish to a platter and garnish with fresh parsley and lemon wedges.
• To serve, cut the fish into individual portions and plate with a drizzle of Chive Butter Sauce.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Place matzoh meal in a bowl, mix with 1 cup fish stock and set aside.
• Place cabbages in a large pot of simmering water and as leaves soften, carefully remove them. You will need about 15 large unbroken leaves or twice that many smaller leaves, which can be put together overlapping to make a large leaf. Rinse softened leaves under cold running water, dry and cut away any large central ribs.
• Heat oil in a small skillet and saute onion until translucent.
• Cube fish, season with salt and pepper and process, using a pulse mechanism, in a food processor. Fish should have some texture. Alternatively, fish can be ground in a meat grinder or ordered ground from fish market.
• Mix fish with onion, parsley and tarragon. Season with pepper. Lightly beat egg yolks and mix in, then add matzoh meal.
• Beat egg whites until frothy, then fold in. Taste mixture for seasoning by poaching a small amount in water, then allowing to cool briefly.
• Place 2 heaping tablespoons of fish mixture in a cabbage leaf or leaves and roll to enclose fish mixture completely, making a package. Repeat until all fish mixture is used.
• Heat remaining stock in large saucepan and add vinegar. Place cabbage rolls, seam side down, in the saucepan and scatter the carrots and leeks over them. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Let cool completely in the stock. Remove fish rolls from stock and refrigerate until a half-hour before serving. Serve with fresh horseradish.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Blanch the head of cabbage in boiling salted water, about 5 minutes, then place in a basin of cold water. Remove the whole leaves and cut away the tough core. As you peel off the outer leaves, you may have to return the head of cabbage to the boiling water to soften the inner leaves. Dry on a clean towel and reserve.
• Place the matzoh meal in a small bowl. Cover with 1 cup of stock and let soak until needed.
• In a small skillet, heat the olive oil. Over medium heat, saute the onion until wilted, 4 to 5 minutes. Do not brown. Cool.
• In a wooden bowl or on a chopping board, chop the fish fine with a chopper or large knife. Add the matzoh meal with the stock, the cooled onions, 3 egg yolks, the chopped parsley and tarragon, 2 teaspoons of salt, white pepper, and cayenne, and continue to chop until well combined. In a clean, medium bowl, whisk the egg white until firm but not stiff. Stir a little into the fish mixture, then, quickly but gently, and fold in the remaining whites. To test for flavor, bring a little fish stock to a simmer, add a small ball of the fish mixture and cook for about 5 minutes. Taste and correct seasoning.
• Heat the remaining fish stock and spoon a little into an 11 by 17-inch baking pan. Divide the fish mixture into 12 portions, about 4 ounces each, and enclose each portion in 1 or 2 cabbage leaves. You will find that when the leaves get smaller, you will have to use 2 leaves to wrap the fish. As each package is formed, place in the prepared baking pan, seam-side down. This size pan holds the 12 packages comfortably. Pour the remaining stock over the fish and top with the julienned carrots and leeks. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool in the stock and refrigerate until needed.
• Presentation: Place 1 package of fish on each of 12 plates, garnishing with some of the julienned carrots and leeks. Serve with homemade horseradish, white or red.*
• Homemade Horseradish:
• To make white horseradish, finely grate peeled fresh horseradish into a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until needed.
• To make red horseradish, boil 1/2 pound red beets until tender. Peel and then finely grate into a medium bowl. Add about 1/2 cup grated horseradish, or to taste, and combine thoroughly. Refrigerate, covered, until needed.

Steps:

• 1. Place the reserved bones, skin, and fish heads in a wide, very large saucepan with a cover. Add the water and 2 teaspoons of the salt and bring to a boil. Remove the foam that accumulates.
• 2. Slice 1 onion in rounds and add along with 3 of the carrots. Add the sugar and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes while the fish mixture is being prepared.
• 3. Place the ground fish in a bowl. In a food processor finely chop the remaining onions, the remaining carrot, and the parsnip; or mince them by hand. Add the chopped vegetables to the ground fish.
• 4. Add the eggs, one at a time, the remaining teaspoon of salt, pepper, and the cold water, and mix thoroughly. Stir in enough matzah meal to make a light, soft mixture into oval shapes, about 3 inches long. Take the last fish head and stuff the cavity with the ground fish mixture.
• 5. Remove from the saucepan the onions, skins, head, and bones and return the stock to a simmer. Gently place the fish patties in the simmering fish stock. Cover loosely and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Taste the liquid while the fish is cooking and add seasoning to taste. Shake the pot periodically so the fish patties won't stick. When gefilte fish is cooked, remove from the water and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.
• 6. Using a slotted spoon carefully remove the gefilte fish and arrange on a platter. Strain some of the stock over the fish, saving the rest in a bowl.
• 7. Slice the cooked carrots into rounds cut on a diagonal about 1/4 inch thick. Place a carrot round on top of each gefilte fish patty. Put the fish head in the center and decorate the eyes with carrots. Chill until ready to serve. Serve with a sprig of parsley and horseradish.

Steps:

• For gefilte fish:
• Cook carrots in pan of boiling salted water until very tender, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water in small bowl. Stir matzo meal into water; let stand 10 minutes. Place carrots in processor. Heat olive oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add green onions and stir 1 minute. Add onion mixture to carrots in processor. Add matzo meal mixture; blend until mixture is pureed and smooth. Using electric mixer, beat 3 eggs and lemon juice in large bowl until foamy and slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Stir in mixture from processor; do not clean processor bowl.
• Blend fish fillets, smoked fish, salt, and pepper in same processor bowl until fish is finely chopped. Add remaining egg and blend to coarse paste. Add fish mixture to matzo meal mixture and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate until very cold, about 2 hours.
• Line large baking sheet with waxed paper. Using wet hands, shape 1/4 cup fish mixture for each dumpling into egg-shaped oval. Place on prepared sheet. Cover with waxed paper and chill while preparing cabbage and steamer.
• Set vegetable steamer rack in large pot. Fill pot with enough water to meet, but not cover, bottom of rack. Line rack with cabbage leaves. Arrange 8 fish dumplings on leaves; cover with additional cabbage. Bring water to boil. Cover pot and steam dumplings until cooked through and firm to touch, about 25 minutes. Transfer upper cabbage leaves to platter. Top with cooked dumplings. Cover with bottom cabbage leaves. Steam remaining dumplings in additional cabbage leaves in 2 more batches. Cover and refrigerate gefilte fish until cold, at least 6 hours. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
• For sauce:
• Push garlic through garlic press into small bowl or mince garlic and place in small bowl. Mix in horseradish and lemon juice. Gradually whisk in mayonnaise. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Cover; chill up to 1 day.
• Line plates with lettuce leaves. Arrange 1 or 2 fish dumplings on each. Spoon lemon-horseradish sauce alongside.

Steps:

• Fill a large, wide pot with 10 cups of water and place over high heat. While bringing to a boil, coarsely chop and add to the pot 1 onion, 1 celery stalk, 1 carrot and the fennel bulb. Add the peppercorns and 1 teaspoon salt. Once water is boiling, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, while preparing the fish.
• Coarsely chop the remaining onion, celery stalk and 1 carrot, then pulse in a food processor until finely chopped. Add fish, chives and 2 tablespoons parsley, tarragon and/or dill, and keep pulsing until fish is chopped but not mushy.
• Move the fish mixture to a medium bowl and add eggs, oil, matzo meal, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (or more to taste) and the ground black pepper, and mix well with your hands.
• Put your hands in a bowl of cold water. Using your hands, mold the fish mixture into a 3- by 2-inch oval patty (about 2 ounces) and gently place on a platter. Repeat with the remaining fish mixture, dipping your hands in water as needed.
• Pop the third carrot into the simmering broth and gently add the patties to the pot. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes until patties are firm.
• Use a slotted spoon to remove the fish and carrot from the poaching liquid to cool on a plate. Slice the carrot diagonally into thin rounds.
• Place each patty on a leaf of radicchio or endive or both. Set the sliced carrot rounds on top of each patty. Garnish with the remaining tablespoon of fresh herbs and serve warm or at room temperature with horseradish, preferably homemade. If making a day ahead, refrigerate, covered, then return the patties to room temperature before serving.