Kosher Fish

Tuna Tartare

Tuna Tartare.jpg

Makes 4 first course servings.                               

Very fresh, top quality tuna makes this very easy to prepare dish so inviting. I serve it on a bed of grated radishes with crispy crackers.  

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 pound sashimi quality tuna
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1½ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 4 scallions, including the green part, thinly sliced    
  • 12 Kalamata olives, pitted, cut in half
  • Freshly ground black pepper                     

GARNISH:

  • 6 large radishes, coarsely grated

PREPARATION:

  1. Cut the fish into ½ inch cubes and place into a bowl.
  2. Combine with the remaining ingredients and season to taste.

TO SERVE:

Pat the grated radishes with paper towels; they tend to be wet. Arrange the radishes on a       plate with the tuna in the center.

 
 

Penne with Basil, Parsley and Tuna

Pennie with Basil.jpg

Makes 6 servings as a first course.

4 servings as a main course.

This pasta is easy, flavorful and nutritious. The sauce requires no cooking, and only the pasta is boiled.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 anchovy fillets
  • 3 cloves garlic, quartered
  • 1 cup tightly packed basil leaves
  • 1 cup tightly packed flat leaf parsley
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons lemon juice, approx.
  • 10 ounces Albacore wild white tuna drained and separated into large pieces
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pound imported penne

PREPARATION:

  1. Soak the anchovies in cold water for 5 minutes – drain and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. Place anchovies, garlic, basil and parsley in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. With the motor on, pour the olive oil and lemon juice through the feed tube. Pulse until smooth, transfer to a large bowl and combine with the tuna.
  3. Bring 5 quarts of water to a rolling boil in a large covered pot. Add 2 tablespoons salt and all the pasta at once and stir. Boil briskly, uncovered, for about 7 minutes, or until pasta is al dente. Drain well in a colander and toss with the sauce.
  4. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. 
 
 

Gefilte Fish

Makes 35-40 ovals.  I like to serve 2 per person.

Gefilte fish is the most representative of Jewish dishes and is typically served as a first course on the Sabbath and holiday meals.  It is a bit time consuming to make gefilte fish, but very satisfying.  The ovals in this recipe are soft, pale and well-seasoned.  Make it at least a day ahead to allow the sauce to jell.  I love serving the fish with freshly grated horseradish.  A slightly different version of this recipe first appeared in my cookbook, Helen Nash's New Kosher Cuisine.

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 pounds white fish
  • 4 pounds pike

Have the fishmonger, bone, fillet the fish and grind them both together to obtain a very smooth texture.  You should have 3 pounds of ground fish.  Save all the trimmings, head, bones and skin for the stock (you may want to ask for more trimmings from only white fish varieties).

FISH OVALS

  • About 3 pounds ground fish
  • 2 medium onions, peeled, quartered and finely grated (See Note)
  • 3 eggs, whisked well
  • 1 tablespoon sugar, aprox
  • 1 ½ tablespoon kosher salt, approx
  • freshly ground pepper
  • ¼ cup bubbly cold water (such as Pellegrino)

STOCK

  • Fish trimmings
  • 2 onions, peeled, quartered
  • 1 carrot, peeled, quartered
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 10 peppercorns

SAUCE

  • 2 onions, peeled, finely chopped
  • 3 carrots, peeled, cut into thin rounds
  • 2 teaspoons sugar, approx
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • Freshly ground white pepper to taste

HORSERADISH

  • About 12 inches of horseradish root
  • 2-3 lemons

PREPARATION

TO MAKE THE FISH OVALS

  1. Place the ground fish in an electric mixer bowl.
  2. Add onions, eggs, sugar, salt and pepper.
  3. Mix with the dough hook, at low speed, adding the bubbly water very, very slowly.  Be patient.
  4. Season to taste and refrigerate while you are cooking and straining the stock.

TO MAKE THE STOCK

  1. I suggest that you use an 11x16 enameled oval pan with a lid to fit the fish in a single layer.
  2. Place the fish trimmings in the pan with the onions, carrot, salt, sugar, peppercorns and 7 cups of cold water.
  3. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and simmer covered for 75 minutes.
  4. Cool the stock a bit.
  5. Wet a triple layer of paper towels with cold water and squeeze almost dry.
  6. Line a strainer with the towels.  Place the strainer over a bowl and ladle the soup with the trimmings in it.
  7. Squeeze the towel with the trimmings in order to obtain all the liquid and flavor.  You will have to change the towels several time.
  8. Rinse the saucepan and return the stock to it.

TO COOK THE FISH OVALS

  1. Add onions, carrots and seasoning to the stock and bring to a gentle boil.
  2. With an oval (No 30) ice cream scooper, form flat ovals and drop them into the simmering stock. From time to time, wet the ice cream scooper in cold water.
  3. Bring slowly to a boil and simmer covered for 75 minutes.  Shake the pan from time to time and turn the ovals.
  4. Season the sauce to taste.

TO MAKE THE HORSERADISH

  1. Peel the horseradish root, cut into very small cubes and chop finely in a food processor fitted with the steel blade.  Add lemon juice to keep it from darkening.
  2. Store right away in a tight fitting container.

NOTE

Either the fishmonger can grate the onion for you finely or you can do it in the food processor fitted with the steel blade. 

 
 

Gravlax with Mustard Dill Sauce

Makes 6-8 first course or luncheon servings. 
2 ½ dozen cocktail servings.
 
Gravlax is a great Scandinavian traditional delicacy where raw salmon is cured to a silky texture.   I was recently at a family wedding in Switzerland and was served a delicious gravlax, which inspired me to revise my original recipe.  In this revised version, I use skinned salmon, which allows me to cut the salmon easily into any size, depending on which course I’m serving. I no longer cut it like smoked salmon.  Summer is the perfect time for this dish since we are in the middle of wild salmon season.  When I serve it as a first course or as a luncheon course I like to serve it with cucumber salad and potato salad.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 ½ pounds center cut wild salmon fillets skinned. You will have 2 pieces, each weighing ¾ pounds so you can put one on top of the other. 
  • 3 tablespoons sugar 
  • 3 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1 ½ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper 
  • ½ bunch fresh dill, including stems, cut into 2–inch pieces

MUSTARD DILL SAUCE

  • 4 generous tablespoons honey mustard
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 10 dill sprigs, snipped finely with scissors

PREPARATION

TO CURE THE SALMON

  1. Pat the salmon dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, salt, and pepper. Rub the mixture all over the fish.
  2. Place the cut dill between the layers. Place in a nonreactive dish large enough to hold it.
  3. Cover the dish with wax paper, then foil. Place a cutting board on top of the foil and weigh it down with a heavy object, such as a pot filled with cans.  It’s important to weigh it down with something heavy, so don’t skip this step!
  4. Refrigerate it for 3-4 days. Once a day, turn the fish over. Re-cover and replace the weights each time.  Once in a while pour off the accumulated liquid. 

TO MAKE THE SAUCE 

  1. Place mustards and vinegar into a bowl. In a very slow stream, whisk in the oil.
  2. Add the snipped dill. Transfer to jar and refrigerate.  

This sauce can be prepared a few days ahead, but be sure to add more fresh dill when serving (dill is a delicate herb that loses its aroma quickly).

TO SERVE

Place the salmon on a cutting board.  Unfold the fillets. Scrape off the curing mixture and trim any brown skin. Use a sharp knife to cut the fish to the size you like.  I like to cut the fillets into about 1” wide and about 3” long rectangles.    

You can serve the fish on a platter with the sauce in a sauceboat with different salads on the side (such as cucumber and potato). Or you can preplate the fish with the sauce on the bottom and the salads of your choice on the side. 

Cocktails can be served on tiny crackers, cucumbers or endives and garnished with a little sauce.

NOTE

Any leftover fish and sauce freezes well. Wrap the fish in wax paper then foil and place it in a plastic container.  It is best to defrost the fish overnight in the refrigerator. That holds true for all defrosting. 

 
 

Halibut Ceviche

Makes 4 first course servings.

Ceviche is a refreshing dish which I make with pristine fresh fish marinated in lime juice. The juice “cooks” the fish in a very short time, turning it opaque and firm. In my recent cookbook, Helen Nash’s New Kosher Cuisine, I used tilapia fillets and marinated the fish overnight. I prefer this quicker version. I also like serving it with butter lettuce and avocado to make it more of a substantial dish.

ingredients

• 1 pound skinless halibut
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, approximately
• 1/3 cup lime juice, plus 2 tablespoons, approximately
• 2 Jalapeno peppers, seeded, finely chopped
• 2 scallions, including green part, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Butter lettuce
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Slices of avocado

Preparation

1. Pat the fish dry with paper towels and cut into ½ inch squares. Place fish in a nonreactive bowl and season with salt. Pour 1/3 cup lime juice over the fish and press down so the fish is submerged in juice. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, or until fish is opaque and firm.

2. Drain and discard the lime juice. Stir in peppers, scallions and cilantro. Just before serving add the remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

To serve

Arrange the lettuce on a plate. Drizzle with olive oil. Place the ceviche in center and arrange slices of avocado on the side.

notes

Chopping cilantro takes away its aroma.  It's better just to remove the leaves from the stem.