Salmon gefilte fish terrine

Gefilte fish, those boiled fish balls that are traditionally served with horseradish at the Passover table, are not only a time-consuming and expensive proposition to make, recent studies have shown that the very fish we use for this dish may be coming from contaminated waters.

Not that all fish these days isn’t contaminated in some way, shape, or form, but I was moved this year to try an alternative gefilte fish, and a recipe that fit more into my lifestyle, time constraints, and pocketbook. Here is a version of gefilte fish with a “better” twist - it’s made from skinned and boned salmon fillets, and no more labor-intensiveness - just drop all the ingredients into the food processor, then place into your loaf pan, insert into oven, and away you go! These came out delicious, and were healthy, too. Enjoy!

Salmon gefilte fish terrine (adapted from Jane Brody’s gefilte fish loaf)

2 large carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise

2 pounds of skinned and boned salmon fillets

1 cup chopped onion

1 medium carrot, peeled and grated

1/4 cup matzo meal

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons sugar

3/4 teaspoons salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3 eggs

Steam the carrot halves for 7 minutes or until they are partially softened. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In your food processor, coarsely grind the fish; transfer to a bowl. Add the onion to the food processor and mince; transfer to the bowl with the fish. Stir in the grated carrot, matzo meal, oil, sugar, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and eggs. Mix ingredients thoroughly.

Transfer 1/3 of the mixture to a nonstick 9×5x3″ loaf pan. Place 2 of the carrot halves lengthwise on the fish. Add another 1/3 of the fish mixture, and place the remaining 2 carrot halves on top of that. Top with the remaining fish mixture.

Place the pan in the hot oven, and bake for 1 hour. Remove the loaf from the oven and cool on a rack. When the loaf is cool, loosen the sides with a knife and carefully turn out onto a platter. Cover the loaf, and chill it until serving time.

Slice, and serve it with horseradish. Serves 8 - 10. (I made two loaves)