A seder does not require gefilte fish the way it does matzo and haroset. Gefilte fish is not on a Sephardic menu, for example.
But for many Jews who have Eastern European roots, Passover without gefilte fish is like Thanksgiving without turkey.
“Gefilte” means “stuffed.” Originally, gefilte fish was a kind of fish mousse that was cooked in the fish skin. And though it is widely served, there is no consensus as to how it should taste. Some like it sweet, others don’t.
First-generation Jews from Eastern Europe who arrived just after the turn of the century probably made their own gefilte fish, but many American Jews today recognize the taste of gefilte fish only from a jar, a novelty that first appeared just after World War II.
Nowadays, it also can be purchased, prepared, from catering shops and fish markets. But many cooks are tempted to pick up where their grandmothers left off and make their own.
Gefilte fish usually is made with fresh-water fish, such as whitefish, pike and carp, because those were the kinds of fish available in Eastern Europe. Whitefish makes the mixture softer, carp adds flavor and richness. But other fish, like salmon, also are suitable.
