Branzino Gefilte Fish

Ingredients

Fish Mixture

• 450g deboned Branzino (save head and 1 bone)
• 2 onions (1 for mixture, 1 for soup)
• 1 hard-boiled egg
• 1 raw egg
• ½ cup matzo meal
• 1 carrot
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp white pepper
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp sugar

Soup

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery branches
• Fish head and bone
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2/3 tbsp salt
• ½ tsp white pepper
• ½ tsp black pepper

Instructions

Prepare the Soup

1. In a large pot, combine fish head, bone, onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves, sugar, salt, white pepper, and black pepper. Cover with water and simmer for 30 minutes.

Prepare the Fish Mixture

2. Grind 1 onion and 1 carrot in a food processor.

3. Add Branzino fish, hard-boiled egg, raw egg, matzo meal, salt, white pepper, black pepper, sugar.

4. Mix well and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Form the Fish Balls

5. With wet hands, shape chilled fish mixture into oval meatballs.

Cook the Gefilte Fish

6. Place fish balls into simmering soup, ensuring liquid just covers them. Cover and simmer on low heat for 1½ hours.

Serve

7. For best flavor, prepare gefilte fish a day ahead or let it sit 4-5 hours after cooking, allowing sauce to gel. Serve at room temperature, topped with cooked carrot.