Sous Vide Gefilte Fish

This recipe is by Mick Dimas, Culinary M.C. and Co-Owner of Add Thyme, a cooking school based in San Francisco. For a list of cooking classes offered please check out Add Thyme.

Sous vide gefilte fish
I am not Jewish, but I was recently invited to a Passover Seder and was requested to provide Gefilte Fish a traditional course during the Seder meal. Historically it is made with fresh water fish, but almost any fish will work. I used cod as it was the freshest local fish available.

The host of the party who has been to many a Seder pronounced this the finest Gefilte Fish he has every had. It certainly looks more appealing than the fish balls sold in jars, as most people have seen it before.

For more sous vide recipes and tips you can try the Cooking Sous Vide series books: Sous Vide: Help for the Busy Cook - Harness the Power of Sous Vide to Create Great Meals Around Your Busy Schedule, Sous Vide Grilling or the comprehensive Beginning Sous Vide book. There are also many more cooking times available on iPhone and Android Apps and the sous vide thickness iPhone app.


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Sous Vide Gefilte Fish

By Mick Dimas
Published: April 4, 2012
Prep time: 60 Minutes
Cooking Time: 1 to 2 Hours (why the range?)
Finishing Time: 10 Minutes
Temperature: 140°F / 60°C
Serves: 4 - 8 people as appetizer

Sous Vide Gefilte Fish Ingredients


For the Sous Vide Vegetables

2 carrots
1 parsnip
Salt and pepper

For the Sous Vide Gefilte Fish

2 pounds fresh boneless cod, or other white fish
1 egg
¼ cup matzah meal
1 preserved lemon (skin only)
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, minced
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
3/4 cups fish stock, frozen into three ¼ cup portions
Minced tarragon for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

Sous Vide Gefilte Fish Instructions


Sous Vide Carrots and Parsnip

Season the carrots and parsnips with salt and pepper and then seal in a vacuum bag and place in 180°F / 82.5°C water bath for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove the vegetables and let cool.

Prepare the Fish

While the vegetables cook, take the fish and cut into ½ inch cubes and place into the freezer for 30 minutes.

Chop Sous Vide Vegetables

Once the sous vide vegetables are cool enough to handle mince the carrots and parsnips into ? inch mince. Also mince the preserved lemon into a ? inch mince as well.

Process Gefilte Fish

After the fish cubes have chilled in the freezer for 30 minutes remove them and place in the bowl of a food processor with the chopping blade attached. Pulse the fish into a smooth paste, making sure there are no longer chunks of fish and it is a homogenous mixture. Place the processed fish into a large bowl along with the egg, matzah meal, preserved lemon, vegetables, tarragon and black pepper. Combine until well mixed.

Divide the gefilte fish mixture into 3 equal portions and form into logs about 2 inches in diameter. Place each gefilte fish portion into a vacuum bag with ¼ cup frozen fish stock and then seal. Place sealed bags into a water bath set at 140°F / 60°C for 1 hour. After an hour, place the sous vide gefilte fish into an ice bath for at least 30 minutes to chill and then refrigerate overnight.

Gefilte fish is traditionally served cold so there is no need to reheat it. To serve, remove gefilte fish from the sealed vacuum bag and slice into ½ inch disks. Serve immediately with a garnish of minced tarragon.

This recipe is by Mick Dimas, Culinary M.C. and Co-Owner of Add Thyme, a cooking school based in San Francisco. For a list of cooking classes offered please check out Add Thyme.
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Jason logsdon headshot This article is by me, Jason Logsdon. I'm an adventurous home cook and professional blogger who loves to try new things, especially when it comes to cooking. I've explored everything from sous vide and whipping siphons to pressure cookers and blow torches; created foams, gels and spheres; made barrel aged cocktails and brewed beer. I have also written 10 cookbooks on modernist cooking and sous vide and I run the AmazingFoodMadeEasy.com website.
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