By Emily Moore, JTNews Correspondent
Jews love fish. They have always loved and honored the place fish has held in the culture. Many old, beloved Jewish recipes have become fixtures in the diets of the general population.
Did you know that Jews were largely responsible for the advent of fish and chips shops in Britain? Or that medieval Sephardic sauces made with egg and lemon were precursors of mayonnaise, tartar sauce and garlicky aioli? Let’s begin, then, just after the Middle Ages in Eastern Europe.
In the 1500s, enterprising Jewish traders traveled from Europe to China on the Silk Road and brought back — among many other wondrous staples — carp, the freshwater fish that became the prize of European Shabbat and Pesach tables for centuries. It has a lovely, creamy texture, but with hundreds of little bones to pull it was probably granted such a central position partly because of its survival instinct: it was easily raised in small ponds, rivers and in fish farms in the Black and Caspian Seas. It was sold alive in Thursday fish markets in the shtetls of Eastern Europe, along with pike, perch, trout, small sturgeon and lesser river fish bought by poorer families.
Once the women of the house had bought their fish, after bargaining it away from the Christian women who also needed fish for Friday, they kept it alive in a tub of water till Friday morning, when it was killed, cleaned and prepared for the Sabbath meals. With carp, I imagine the bone-pulling began early Friday morning. One of the reasons gefilte fish became so popular was that it could be eaten with no pulling of bones, which was of course forbidden on Shabbat.
Since it was thought to be a blessing, fish was often eaten at all three sabbath meals, traditionally prepared to be eaten cold. This Jewish tradition of focusing on fish for the holidays and sabbath comes from Biblical teaching and cultural belief: Jacob blessed his children and encouraged them to “multiply like fish in the sea,” an injunction that helped Jews associate fish with fertility. A Sephardic belief says that fish are beyond the view of the evil eye because they live under the water. Also, certain legends proclaim that the Messiah will come as a wondrous fish from the sea.
For 16th century British Jews, the most popular preparation was breaded fish fried in oil and served cold. In the mid-1800s, Thomas Jefferson discovered “fried fish in the Jewish fashion” on a trip to England and became so fond of eating it at Monticello that a version of the recipe appears in a collection of his recipes his granddaughter gathered after his death.
Another effect of the Jewish “fried fish invasion” in Britain came when Joseph Malin, a new Ashkenazi immigrant from Eastern Europe, combined English-Jewish and Irish traditions. In 1860, he opened a fried fish shop in London’s East End and for the first time sold fried potatoes with the fish. The rest is history!
Fish in the Sephardic world has always been just as central to Jewish life for Shabbat and holiday food, and is prepared in every possible way: fried, poached, sauced or simmered. It is grilled, then eaten cold with wonderfully spicy condiments. For the New Year, a whole fish is traditionally served with the head on, so that “Jews would be at the head and not the tail,” or so that Jews might be “ahead in good deeds and serve as a model of goodness.” In some Algerian homes it is said that on the last day of Passover a fish was served dressed with herbs and flowers.
As the Sephardic migrations took place, Jews preferred to settle in the sea towns of the Mediterranean and quickly developed lives and cultures integrating the fish of the region. Areas like Tunisia and the city of Salonika became particularly well known for their fish dishes. In coastal areas of India, Iraq and Italy, Jews have developed some of the most delectable fish recipes in the world.
Fried fillets of steaks of fish in the Jewish manner
“Perfect fried fish” — serve warm or cold with lemon or lime juice or with fat free sour cream combined with chopped cucumber and a little fennel or fresh dill. Enjoy your Jewish heritage!
Serves 6 to 8
3 lbs white fish
(sole, cod, halibut, flounder, etc)
cut in steaks or filets 1” thick
kosher salt
2 eggs, beaten well
3 Tbsp flour (or as needed)
1 cup very dry bread crumbs or matzoh meal
Oil for frying (sunflower is very good, but any reputable vegetable will do)
Rinse the pieces of fish well and arrange in a large colander, not touching. Sprinkle lightly with salt and leave to drain.
Put the flour, beaten egg and crumbs in three separate dishes large enough to easily hold the pieces of fish.
Do the following one piece at a time. As each piece is done, place on another platter, ready for frying:
Dredge the fish on both sides in the flour and pat off any excess.
Dip on both sides in the egg and even out the coating with a pastry brush.
Dip in the crumbs or matzoh meal, patting them on to make a very even coating.
Have a plate covered with paper towels ready for draining the fish, and another plate ready to put the fish on when finished.
How to fry the fish
The pan used for frying should be at least 10” in diameter, 2” deep, heavy (at least in the bottom) and should sit flat on the burner.
Heat the empty pan for three minutes on medium heat, then add oil to a depth of 1” and heat steadily for four minutes.
Test to see if the oil is ready: either a thermometer submerged in the oil will register 375º or a 3/4” cube of bread will brown in 30 seconds.
Lift up the fish on a flat metal spatula and lower carefully into the oil. Don’t put in too many pieces at once; the oil temperature will lower and the fish will be oil-logged and soggy.
Cook the fish over medium heat with the oil bubbling steadily until the fish is a rich brown on the first side. This should take about 4–6 minutes. Turn carefully using a metal spatula and a slotted spoon and cook another 4 minutes until the second side is brown.
Lift carefully onto the paper towels to drain; let drain well to retain the fish’s crispness.
When the oil is cold, strain and store in a glass bottle to use one more time. If cooked correctly, the fat content of “perfectly fried fish” is lower than baked fish served with tartar sauce.
Poisson en sauce epiceé (Fish in spicy tomato sauce)
A Tunisian recipe. You can make this lovely, tomato-y dish as spicy or as mild as you like.
Serves 4
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil (sunflower is good)
4 to 5 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2–2 tsp harissa
(very hot Middle Eastern spice paste)
(or 2 tsp paprika or 1/4 tsp cayenne or 1/4–1/2 seeded, chopped jalapeño)
1-1/2 lb tomatoes, peeled and chopped
Kosher salt to taste
2–3 tsp sugar (depends on the sweetness of the tomatoes)
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp ground coriander
2 Tbsp capers, drained
2 Tbsp vinegar
4 fish steaks, 6 oz. each (any firm white fish)
4 Tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
In a large sauté or frying pan, fry the onion in the oil till soft and golden.
Add the garlic and, when it starts to color, add the harissa (or substitute) and stir well.
Add the tomatoes, salt, sugar and capers. When the tomatoes begin to break down, stir in the tomato paste, the coriander and the vinegar.
Put in the fish steaks, sprinkle with salt and pour some sauce on top.
Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, then carefully turn the steaks over, sprinkle with the chopped coriander and cook, covered, for five more minutes or until the fish begins to flake.
Peshe kon nuez (Salonikan fish in walnut sauce)
This sauce is of the style served with the famous Turkish Circassian chicken
Serves 4
2 lbs filets of white fish
Juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon or 4 Tbsp vinegar
Salt and pepper
1 slice white bread, crusts removed
1 cup walnuts
3 to 4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp finely chopped flat-leafed parsley
Put the fish in a pan and just barely cover with water. Add the lemon juice or vinegar, salt and pepper.
Barely bring to a boil and let just shimmer for 7 to 10 minutes, until the flesh just begins to flake when pierced with the point of a knife.
Carefully lift out the filets and place on a serving dish, leaving the cooking water in the pan.
Make the sauce
Soak the bread in the cooking liquid, then blend it in a food processor with the walnuts, garlic, oil, parsley and enough of the cooking water to make a thick cream.
Pour over the fish and serve warm or cold.