From scratch? Hah! Here is a real from-scratch recipe I compiled from various sources, but it won't cost you any more than the one you used, I imagine. Notice that this is a recipe for real gefilte fish, not those American fish balls.
GefŸllte (Gefilte) Fisch (Fish)
medium-sized pike (800-1000 g-1.8-2.2 lb) 2 l (2 quarts) court-bouillon, consisting of 2 l (2 quarts) water, some fish heads (pike, if possible), pike fins and bones, 1 carrot, 1 celery root, 1 parsley root, 2 onions, 3 teaspoons salt, 6 black peppercorns, 2 bay leaves 1 tablespoon semolina, if desired 1-2 cup milk 30 g-1 oz stale wheat bread OR matzo meal 1 onion 1 tablespoon butter 1 egg 1 teaspoon fish gelatin or isinglbutt, if desired 1 teaspoon sugar, if desired salt pepper
Clean and scale the pike, taking care not to damage the skin. Chop off the tail. Make an incision around the head, turn back the skin and peel it off like a stocking, cutting of the flesh as you go, again taking care not to damage the skin, especially being careful on the inside of the fins. Now gut the fish and remove the bones (which you will use in the court-bouillon).
Put the flesh, together with the onions, the bread (or matzo meal), which has been softened in milk, through the grinder. Repeat. Add raw egg, salt and pepper, cold milk and soft butter to the filling and beat until it is a homogeneous, puffy mbutt. Fill the pike skin with the mbutt and sew up the skin on both ends (but not *too* tightly to prevent the thread cutting through the skin during cooking).
Prepare court-bouillon (fumet, stock, whatever): wash, peel and chop carrots, parsley and celery roots, and onions. Put all of the above, together with fish heads, fins and bones, in a saucepan, pour in the water, add onion skins. Bring to the boil, add bay leaves, pepper, and salt. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Strain.
Cracked OlivesBubba says refrigeration, the get They're probably vacuum packed (was there a distinct 'pop' when you released the lid? With many vacuum packed food products once opened oxygen will begin to...
Place the stuffed pike on the rack of the fish kettle, together with the tail and the head, pour in the court-bouillon and slowly bring to the boil. Simmer over very slow heat until ready. Let cool in bouillon. *Note*: gefilte fish has traditionally been cooked for up to two hours. This is not necessary, 30 minutes is quite enough for pike, 20 minutes for carp, especially if you let the fish cool in bouillon, thus letting it cook longer. To serve, take out the fish and cut in serving pieces, preserving its form. Put on a suitable dish, perhaps decorated with lemon slices, boiled eggs, marinated vegetables, such as cornichons, and sprigs of parsley. Strain the bouillon once again, add fish gelatin or isinglbutt, if desired, let it cool to room temperature and pour it over the fish. Separately, serve horseradish sauce prepared with the court-bouillon.
Variations: 1. Subsbreastute court-bouillon for milk, and raisins for sugar. Also add a leek, cinnamon, cloves and saffron to the court-bouillon. 2. Steam the fish over the court-bouillon, instead of covering it with the liquid. 2. Bake the whole fish in the oven, instead of cooking it in or over the court-bouillon. 3. Cut the fish in pieces first, remove flesh from bones, *then* stuff the resulting skin rings. Arrange the filled rings on a bed of vegetables, such as beets, carrots and onions, cover with another layer of vegetables, spread the rest of the filling over the vegetables, paint with raw egg, put into a very hot oven for 3-4 minutes to allow a light crust to form, then cover with water or court-bouillon and cook until ready.
BTW, here's how real gefilte fish should look like:
Victor
