Traditional Gefilte Fish Recipe: Sweet or Peppery

Active time: ~1 hour | Total time: ~3 hours, plus chilling overnight | Serves: 8 | Difficulty: Medium

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Quick Overview

1. Simmer the fish heads and bones with onions and carrots into a broth
2. Grind the fillets with onion, then mix in eggs, matzo meal and seasoning
3. Poach a spoonful to check the seasoning
4. Shape ovals with wet hands and poach them covered at a bare simmer
5. Chill the fish in its broth overnight
6. Serve cold with a carrot round and horseradish

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What Gefilte Fish Is

Gefilte fish comes from Ashkenazi Jewish cooking, the cooking of the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. It’s ground, deboned fish mixed with eggs, matzo meal and seasoning, then shaped and poached. The fish is usually a blend of whitefish, carp and pike.¹ Matzo meal is ground matzo, unleavened bread made only from flour and water and baked, by Jewish tradition, within 18 minutes of mixing, before the dough can rise.¹⁷ It’s eaten cold as a first course, topped with a slice of cooked carrot and served with horseradish.¹ The name is Yiddish for “stuffed”: the seasoned fish was once packed back into the fish’s own skin. Today it’s usually shaped into ovals or cooked as a single loaf.¹

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History and Cultural Roots

The dish didn’t start out Jewish. The first mention of stuffed pike, gefuelten hechden, comes from a non-Jewish German cookbook about 700 years old, and it was popular with Catholics during Lent. By the Middle Ages it had moved into Jewish kitchens.² Carp, brought to Western Europe from China in the 15th century, was easy to raise and very cheap, and it became associated with poorer households.³ For a long time it was the most common fish on the Shabbat table, often ground into gefilte fish.⁴

Where a family came from decided the seasoning. After the first sugar beet factory opened at the turn of the 19th century in what is now southern Poland, Polish Jews began adding sugar to many dishes, gefilte fish among them; Lithuanian Jews kept theirs peppery.^2,5 In the mid-1960s a Yiddish scholar noticed that this line matched the boundary between the Polish and Lithuanian dialects of Yiddish. It later came to be called the gefilte fish line. In American Jewish cooking, the savory, peppery style became the standard.⁵

Fish has been part of the Sabbath meal since Talmudic times.⁶ Gefilte fish suited the day: it was made ahead and eaten cold,² and it let a host feed many guests economically, with no one picking out bones.¹ Separating bones from fish on the Sabbath counts as forbidden “sorting,” and that is the most popular explanation for why the dish caught on. The historian Haym Soloveitchik doubts it, pointing out that Jews ate fish on the Sabbath for some fifteen centuries before gefilte fish appeared.⁷

On the Holiday Table

Besides the Sabbath, gefilte fish is served at festival meals such as Rosh Hashanah and Passover.¹ At the Passover seder it traditionally opens the meal.² For Rosh Hashanah, when the table leans sweet in hope of a sweet year, families with roots in Poland serve the sweet version.⁵ It’s eaten on Sukkot as well.⁸

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Traditional Gefilte Fish Recipe

This recipe was compiled by Heritage Healthy Kitchen from a comparison of published recipes; the sources are listed at the end of this article. Figures that are Heritage Healthy Kitchen’s own estimates rather than taken from a published source are marked as such.

Published recipes use whitefish, pike and carp, alone or together, with about 2 eggs and ⅓ to ½ cup of matzo meal for every 900g (2 lb) of fillets, plus some water or club soda.^9,10,11 They simmer the broth from the heads and bones for about an hour^11,12 and poach the ovals at a gentle simmer for anywhere from 25 minutes to 1½ hours; one cooks the whole mixture as a single loaf for 2½ to 3 hours instead.^9,10,11,12 Sugar ranges from a pinch to several tablespoons.^5,9,10,12 The amounts below sit inside those ranges. The weight of the matzo meal, the amount of water for the broth, the number of servings and the poaching time of about 1 hour are Heritage Healthy Kitchen’s estimates.

Ingredients (serves 8, about 16 ovals)

For the broth:

• Heads, bones, tails and skin of the fish (ask the fishmonger to save them when filleting)
• 2 onions, sliced
• 3 carrots, peeled and left whole
• 2 liters (about 8 cups) cold water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf (optional)

For the fish:

• 675g (1½ lb) skinless whitefish fillets
• 225g (½ lb) skinless pike fillets, or carp, or a mix of the two
• 1 onion (about 150g), quartered
• 2 large eggs
• 80ml (⅓ cup) cold water or club soda
• About 60g (½ cup) matzo meal
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon ground white or black pepper, plus ½ teaspoon more for a peppery Lithuanian-style fish
• 1–2 tablespoons sugar, for a sweeter Polish-style fish (optional)

For serving:

• Prepared horseradish (chrain), white or with beets
• Lettuce leaves (optional)

Instructions

1. Make the broth. Rinse the heads and bones and put them in a wide pot with the onions, carrots, water, salt, peppercorns and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, then cover and simmer gently for about 1 hour. Strain the broth, discard the bones and skin, and return the broth, onions and carrots to the pot.^9,11,12
2. Grind the fish. Cut the fillets into pieces and pulse them in a food processor with the onion, no more than about 450g (1 lb) at a time, until the texture looks like ground meat rather than a paste.¹¹
3. Mix. In a large bowl, mix the ground fish with the eggs, water, matzo meal, salt, pepper and sugar, if using, with a fork until light. The mixture should hold its shape; if it doesn’t, add a little more matzo meal, a tablespoon at a time.^11,12
4. Test the seasoning. Poach a teaspoon of the mixture in the simmering broth for about 10 minutes, taste it and adjust the salt, pepper or sugar. Don’t taste raw freshwater fish.¹¹
5. Shape. With wet hands, shape portions of about 80ml (⅓ cup) into ovals about 9cm (3½ inches) long. This makes about 16.¹¹
6. Poach. Bring the broth back to a bare simmer and lower in the ovals, leaving room between them, since they grow by about half as they cook. Cover and poach for about 1 hour, keeping the broth at a simmer, not a boil.^11,12
7. Chill. Let the fish cool in the broth. Lift the ovals into a deep dish, slice the carrots into rounds, strain the broth over the fish, cover and refrigerate overnight.^10,11
8. Serve. Serve cold, two ovals per person, each topped with a carrot round, with a spoonful of the broth and horseradish on the side, on lettuce if you like.^1,9

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Kitchen Tips

Ask the fishmonger to fillet the fish and keep the heads, bones and skin for you. They are what give the broth its body.¹¹

Grind the fish in small batches and stop when it looks like ground meat. Pushed further, it turns into a smooth paste.¹¹

Keep the broth at a bare simmer once the ovals go in. A hard boil can break them apart, and they need room in the pot because they swell by about half.^11,12

Some families would rather slice it. They cook the whole mixture as a single loaf, wrapped in cheesecloth, for 2½ to 3 hours, then chill it overnight and cut it into slices.⁹

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A Lighter Way to Make It

Gefilte fish is poached rather than fried, so salt and sugar are the main things to adjust. Use ¾ teaspoon of salt in the fish instead of 1½ and season the broth only at the end, to taste. The American Heart Association advises no more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day, with 1,500 mg as the ideal for most adults.¹³ Halving the salt in the fish brings a serving from about 590 mg of sodium to about 375 mg (Heritage Healthy Kitchen’s estimate). The sugar can go entirely, as it does in the peppery Lithuanian style.²

Salmon is another option. Harvard’s Nutrition Source lists it among the fatty fish rich in omega-3 fats, and an analysis of 20 studies it cites linked eating fatty fish to a 36 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease.¹⁴ It already turns up in modern gefilte fish: one Brooklyn maker tops its whitefish and pike terrine with salmon.⁵ Replacing half the whitefish with salmon turns the ovals pinkish and adds fat: a serving comes to roughly 210–255 kcal and 9–11g of fat instead of 180–220 kcal and 6–7g (Heritage Healthy Kitchen’s estimate).

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Nutritional Information

Per serving (two ovals with a carrot round and a spoonful of broth, one-eighth of the recipe, savory version):

• Calories: approximately 180–220 kcal (190–235 kcal with 2 tablespoons of sugar)
• Protein: 22–27g
• Total fat: 6–7g, of which saturated about 1g
• Carbohydrates: 9–11g (12–15g with sugar)
• Fiber: about 1g
• Cholesterol: 95–120mg
• Sodium: 530–650mg

Nutritional values are estimates based on standard ingredient databases (USDA FoodData Central). Sodium depends heavily on how much salt goes into the fish and the broth.

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Storage and Reheating

Keep the fish in its broth in a covered container in the refrigerator. It keeps for 3 to 4 days there, or 3 to 4 months in the freezer.¹⁵ Thaw frozen fish in the refrigerator.¹⁵ Gefilte fish is served cold, so there’s no need to reheat it.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is some gefilte fish sweet and some peppery?
It depends on where a family came from. Once sugar beet factories opened in what is now southern Poland in the early 19th century, Polish Jews put sugar into many dishes, gefilte fish among them, while Lithuanian Jews kept theirs peppery.^2,5 The recipe above gives both options.

Why is gefilte fish served cold?
Because it was made for the Sabbath, when cooking isn’t allowed. It could be prepared ahead and eaten cold.²

Can I use other fish?
Yes. Besides whitefish, pike and carp, cooks use mullet,¹ and British Jews made it with saltwater fish such as cod or haddock.² The fish has to be kosher, which means it has both fins and scales.⁴ That rules out catfish, which has no scales.

Is gefilte fish kosher for Passover?
Made with matzo meal, as here, it is; published Passover recipes bind it the same way.^9,11 Some communities, by custom, avoid matzo that has come into contact with liquid during Passover, matzo meal in a mixture included.¹⁶

Can I make it ahead of a holiday?
Yes. It has to chill in its broth overnight anyway.^9,10 Refrigerated, it keeps for 3 to 4 days.¹⁵

Why didn’t my broth set into a jelly?
Not every broth sets firmly. One published recipe dissolves unflavored gelatin in the strained poaching liquid to make a firm fish jelly.⁹

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Further Reading & Sources

The recipe is a compilation based on the published recipes listed here; these links are provided for readers who want to explore further.

1. Danielle Feinberg. (5 April 2016). What Is Gefilte Fish? The Nosher, My Jewish Learning. Ground, deboned fish mixed with eggs, matzah meal and seasoning, poached; whitefish, carp, pike and/or mullet; gefilte means “stuffed” in Yiddish, after the old method of stuffing the fish back into its skin; today patties or a loaf; eaten cold as an appetizer with horseradish and cooked carrot; served at festival meals such as Rosh Hashanah and Passover; a Shabbat dish that fed many guests economically without anyone having to debone fish.
2. Rachel Ringler. (23 March 2021). The History of Gefilte Fish. The Nosher, My Jewish Learning. Gefuelten hechden (stuffed pike) in a 700-year-old non-Jewish German cookbook, popular with Catholics during Lent; in Jewish kitchens by the Middle Ages; made ahead and eaten cold on the Sabbath; carp kept alive in bathtubs on the Lower East Side; gefilte fish heralding the Passover seder; sweetened in southern Poland and northern Ukraine, peppery in Lithuania; British Jews using saltwater fish such as cod or haddock.
3. Tina Wasserman. The Iconic Jewish Fish Dish. ReformJudaism.org, Union for Reform Judaism (no date given). Carp introduced to Western Europe from China in the 15th century; raised easily in freshwater tanks, plentiful and very inexpensive; associated with the poor.
4. Chabad.org Staff. Is Carp Kosher? Chabad.org (no date given). All fish with fins and scales are kosher; inexpensive carp was the most common fish on Jewish Shabbat tables, often ground and shaped into gefilte fish.
5. Deena Prichep. (24 September 2014). The Gefilte Fish Line: A Sweet And Salty History Of Jewish Identity. The Salt, NPR. Sweet gefilte fish for Jews with roots in Poland; the first sugar beet factory at the turn of the 19th century in what is now southern Poland; Marvin Herzog in the mid-1960s and the match between Yiddish dialect boundaries and the sweet-savory line; the savory style standard in American Jewish cooking; sweet gefilte fish on the Rosh Hashanah table; the Gefilteria terrine topped with salmon.
6. Tamara Mann Tweel. Gefilte Fish in America. My Jewish Learning. Fish as part of the Sabbath meal since Talmudic times.
7. Virginia Hughes. (13 April 2014). Gefilte Fish: Why, Oy Why? National Geographic. The rule against separating bones from fish on the Sabbath as the most popular explanation for gefilte fish; historian Haym Soloveitchik on Jews eating fish on the Sabbath for some fifteen centuries before gefilte fish.
8. Marissa Fox. (19 October 2016). Top Foods to Eat on Sukkot. Moment Magazine. “Gefilte Fish is a traditional dish used on many holidays including Sukkot.”
9. Patricia Reinfeld Kolodny and Johanna Kolodny. (28 March 2019). Classic Gefilte Fish. Jewish Food Society. Published recipe, labeled kosher for Passover: 3½ lb whitefish, 1 lb pike, ½ lb carp; 5 eggs, 1 cup matzo meal, 1½ cups club soda, 1½ tablespoons salt, 2 teaspoons pepper, 1 tablespoon sugar; cooked as one loaf in cheesecloth, 2½ to 3 hours, chilled overnight; optional gelatin in the strained liquid; served with carrot rounds and beet horseradish on lettuce.
10. Dorit Golender. (18 March 2018). Lithuanian Gefilte Fish. Jewish Food Society. Published recipe: 1¾ lb fish, 2 eggs, 4 to 6 tablespoons matzo meal, pepper and a pinch of sugar; 6 to 8 cups of water; simmered uncovered for 1½ hours; the strained liquid poured over the fish and refrigerated overnight.
11. Tina Wasserman. Traditional Gefilte Fish. ReformJudaism.org, Union for Reform Judaism (no date given). Published Passover recipe: 2 lb fillets, 2 eggs, ⅓ cup water, ½ cup matzo meal; broth from heads and bones simmered covered for 1 to 1½ hours; fish ground in batches of no more than 1 lb to the texture of ground hamburger; a test spoonful poached before seasoning, never tasting raw freshwater fish; ⅓ to ½ cup ovals about 3½ inches long; poached covered over low heat for 25 minutes, at a simmer, not a boil; 8 to 10 servings.
12. Jewlish by Jamie. (12 November 2021, updated 24 January 2024). Homemade Gefilte Fish (from scratch). JamieGeller.com. Published recipe: bones of carp, whitefish or pike; broth simmered covered for 1 hour; 3 eggs, 2 tablespoons sugar, matzo meal added a quarter cup at a time until the mixture holds its shape; poached covered for 1 hour 15 minutes; the fish grow about 50% in size; 6 servings.
13. American Heart Association. (last reviewed 15 July 2025). How much sodium should I eat per day? heart.org. No more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day, with an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 mg for most adults.
14. The Nutrition Source. Fish: Friend or Foe? Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Salmon among the fatty fish rich in omega-3 fats; an analysis of 20 studies linking fatty fish to a 36 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease.
15. USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Leftovers and Food Safety. Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator or 3 to 4 months in the freezer; thaw in the refrigerator.
16. Yehuda Shurpin. How Traditional Are Matzo Balls? The Unusual History of the Kneidel. Chabad.org (no date given). The custom of some communities to avoid matzah that has come into contact with liquid during Passover.
17. Rabbi Yissachar Dov Krakowski. (25 February 2026). Understanding the Not-So-Simple Matzah. OU Kosher. Matzah as bread that has not risen, made from flour and water alone and fully baked within 18 minutes of mixing.

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Disclaimer

The information in this article is provided for educational and informational purposes only. Heritage Healthy Kitchen makes no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of any content on this site. Nutritional values are estimates only and will vary depending on the specific ingredients, brands, and measurements used. This content is not intended as dietary, medical, or professional nutritional advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider regarding any dietary needs or health conditions. Heritage Healthy Kitchen is not responsible for any outcomes resulting from the use of recipes or information published on this site.

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