Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
1,000 Jewish Recipes (197 page)
3.
Preheat oven to 275°F. Spread bread crumbs in a large plate. Season fish with salt and pepper on both sides. Dip each fillet in milk; then dip on both sides in bread crumbs and press so they adhere. As each fillet is dipped, set it on a large plate; place fillets side by side.
4.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Handling fillets lightly, add enough to make one layer in skillet. Sauté fillets about 1 minute per side or until golden brown on both sides, using 2 slotted spatulas to carefully turn them. Place sautéed fillets side by side on an ovenproof platter and keep them warm in a 275°F oven while sautéing remaining fillets. Add remaining oil if needed so skillet remains coated. If butter begins to brown, reduce heat to medium.
5.
To serve, pipe Garlic Butter in decorative line down center of each fillet; or spoon a few dabs of Garlic Butter onto each. Garnish plates with parsley sprigs and lemon quarters. Serve remaining Garlic Butter separately. (Diners spread butter so it melts into hot fish.)
Note:
To prepare fresh white bread crumbs, slice French bread or other unsweetened white bread and let dry uncovered for 1 to 2 days. Remove crust and cut bread into pieces. Pulverize bread in food processor until very fine.
Schnitzel made of sautéed chicken or turkey is one of the most popular entrees in Israel, especially with children. This cooking technique, which coats the meat in a crisp crust, is also perfect for fish fillets. In fact, it's a great recipe for encouraging young eaters to enjoy fish. For adults, serve this fish with
Red Pepper Vinaigrette
or
Caper-Lemon-Parsley Dressing
.
1 to 1
1
â
4
pounds sole or flounder fillets
1
â
2
teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1
â
2
teaspoon freshly ground pepper plus more to taste
1
â
3
cup all-purpose flour
3
â
4
cup dry bread crumbs
1
1
â
2
teaspoons paprika
2 large eggs or egg whites
1
â
3
cup vegetable oil
Lemon wedges
1.
Run your fingers over fillets to check for bones. Gently remove any bones using tweezers or small, sharp knife. Cut each fillet into two pieces crosswise. Arrange them in one layer on plate. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper.
2.
Spread flour in a large plate. Put bread crumbs in a shallow bowl or baking dish and mix evenly with paprika,
1
â
2
teaspoon salt and
1
â
2
teaspoon pepper. Beat eggs in a shallow bowl. Lightly coat a fish piece with flour on both sides. Tap and shake to remove excess flour. Dip piece in eggs. Last, dip both sides in bread crumbs so fish is completely coated; pat and press lightly so crumbs adhere. Repeat with remaining slices. Set pieces side by side on a large plate. Handle fish lightly at all stages.
3.
Heat oil in large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough fish to make one layer, leaving room to turn them over. Sauté until golden brown on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Turn carefully using two slotted spatulas. If oil begins to brown, reduce heat to medium. Set fish pieces side by side on ovenproof platter and keep them warm in a 275°F oven while sautéing remaining slices. Serve hot, with lemon wedges.
My husband and I love using the Yemenite seasonings of his family in French-style sauces. In this easy dish, we make a flavored butter with fresh garlic, cumin, and turmeric, and use it to sauté sole fillets and to enhance its accompanying basmati rice. The rich, aromatic dish makes a wonderful Shavuot entree.
1
1
â
2
cups basmati rice
1 to 1
1
â
4
pounds sole fillets, patted dry
4 to 6 tablespoons butter, softened
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño pepper (optional), ribs and seeds discarded, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1
â
2
teaspoon ground turmeric
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1
â
2
cup minced green onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1.
Rinse rice in several changes of water. Drain well. Put rice in a large saucepan.
2.
Run your finger over sole fillets to check them for bones; remove any bones carefully with tweezers or a small, sharp knife. Cut sole in thin diagonal strips about 1-inch wide and 3-inches long. Refrigerate sole until ready to cook it.
3.
Add 2
1
â
2
cups water and a pinch of salt to pan of rice. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat, without stirring, 18 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
4.
Combine butter, garlic, jalapeño if using, cumin, turmeric, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl; mix well.
5.
Preheat oven to 275°F. Spoon 2 tablespoons spiced butter into a large, heavy skillet for sautéing sole; set aside. Spoon remaining spiced butter over cooked rice. Cover and let stand about 10 minutes or until ready to serve.
6.
Just before serving, add oil to the spiced butter in the skillet. Cook over medium heat. Add half of sole to pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sauté, stirring often, about 1
1
â
2
to 2 minutes or until just cooked through and opaque. With a slotted spoon, transfer sole to a platter and keep warm in a 275°F oven. Sauté remaining sole and transfer to platter. Add green onions to skillet used to sauté sole and heat 30 seconds. Spoon over sole.
7.
Fluff rice with a fork and blend in spiced butter. Spoon rice onto platter or plates. Serve sole over or alongside rice and sprinkle with parsley.
GEFILTE FISH AND OTHER GROUND FISH DISHES
Traditional Gefilte Fish
is made with carp, whitefish, and pike, but today's cooks don't limit themselves to these options. In recent years salmon has become popular and makes delicious gefilte fish with an attractive color. Serve the gefilte fish cold on lettuce leaves to accent the color. Accompany it with
White Horseradish Sauce
,
Mustard-Dill Dressing
, or
Mildred's Dill Sauce
.
To make preparation easy, have the salmon filleted at the market.
4
1
â
2
pounds salmon (including bones and head), filleted, bones and heads reserved for fish stock
2 large eggs
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1
1
â
2
teaspoons salt
1
â
2
teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1
â
4
cup chopped fresh dill or 1 tablespoon dried
3 tablespoons matzo meal
1.
Using salmon head and bones, prepare fish stock. Pour strained stock into a large, deep pot.
2.
To remove skin from salmon, set a fillet on a board, skin side down. Slip blade of a flexible knife between flesh and skin and use it to remove skin of fish, sliding knife away from you with one hand and pulling off skin with other. Run your fingers carefully over fillets and remove small bones remaining in flesh with tweezers or a small, sharp knife. Cut salmon into large pieces.
3.
Grind salmon in 2 batches in a food processor until very fine. Return half the fish to food processor and add 1 egg, half the chopped onions,
3
â
4
teaspoon salt, and
1
â
4
teaspoon pepper. Process to thoroughly mix. Transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with remaining fish, egg, onion, salt, and pepper. Transfer to bowl and mix with first batch. Stir in dill and matzo meal.
4.
Bring strained stock to a simmer. With moistened hands, shape fish mixture into ovals or balls, using about
1
â
3
cup mixture for each. Carefully drop fish balls into simmering stock. If necessary add enough hot water to barely cover them, pouring it carefully into stock near edge of pan, not over fish. Return to a simmer, cover, and simmer over low heat for 1 hour. Let fish cool in stock. Refrigerate fish in stock for at least 4 hours before serving. Remove fish balls from stock and serve cold.
Baking is a popular way to cook gefilte fish. It's easier because you don't have to poach it in fish stock. When baked, gefilte fish has a different texture, with a crusty top and a softer interior, unlike the traditional poached fish balls which are moist throughout. Some people shape the fish into patties and bake them in a tomato sauce; others shape it as a free-form loaf. Easiest of all is to spoon the fish mixture into a loaf pan or baking dish and serve the finished loaf in slices or squares. Baked gefilte fish is served hot or cold and often is a main course. If you serve it cold, you can top each serving with a cooked carrot slice and accompany it with horseradish.
We often ate baked gefilte fish when I was growing up. When my mother made poached gefilte fish, she saved part of the mixture to bake as a loaf. Some cooks enrich their baked gefilte fish mixture with oil. Some sprinkle it with paprika, while others spread ketchup on top for the last 5 minutes of baking so it will brown.
2 pounds halibut, sole, or sea bass fillets
2 large eggs
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1
1
â
2
teaspoons salt
1
â
2
teaspoon ground pepper, preferably white