Smoked whitefish salad

Worth the effort

When I’m lucky enough to find myself in a kosher bagel shop, whitefish salad is the first thing I order. It is one of my top five favorite Jewish foods, but I didn’t make it at home until this past year. I wasn’t happy with the quality, or the pool of seed oil, in the store-bought brands. I also wasn’t thrilled with paying $14 for a single serving of whitefish salad at the bagel shop — although that seems almost reasonable compared to the pricing for hand-cut lox or smoked sable.

It’s strange to see basics from a bagel shop or deli almost becoming luxury items for our table, so I decided it was time to get it together in my own kitchen — and it was beyond worth the time spent picking out pin bones.

This recipe calls for three cups of whitefish, but can be easily adapted to a smaller or larger amount.

I’ve been very happy with the whole, sealed smoked whitefish available locally at Murray Avenue Kosher. I usually first serve whitefish whole, then I make the salad with any leftovers.

Ingredients:
3 cups smoked whitefish, removed from a whole fish
⅓ cup mayonnaise
½ cup finely chopped celery
2-3 tablespoons sour cream
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Black pepper to taste

Use a sharp knife to cut into the skin of the fish. Start with gently cutting into the belly of the fish, across the seam. Cut vertically near the head and tail of the fish and gently pull the skin back to reveal the flesh of the fish. You will notice there is a long horizontal line across the middle of each side of the fish. Cut across that line to loosen the filet from the bone, and then do the same on the top and bottom seams. Use a knife and a dinner fork to pull the fish away from the bones, and put the chunks on a plate to the side.

Get as much fish as you can from the first side before turning the fish over and repeating the process.

Measure the fish for the salad after you’ve removed all the pin bones. It helps to use a colored platter or tray when looking for bones. Spread it out and mash it with the back of a fork, and then go over it with your fingers several times. A few will escape, so check it under a bright light to be safe. It takes about 15 minutes to remove the fish from the bones and to check it carefully, but it’s worth the time to get a fresh, homemade whitefish salad.

Place the fish into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Sprinkle it with lemon juice. Start with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice — you can add more to taste.

Mix in the mayonnaise, celery and black pepper, if desired.

Mix well with the back of a fork, breaking up any larger pieces, just as you would do with canned tuna or salmon.

Add the sour cream last, starting with 2 tablespoons. If you want a little more or less mayo, sour cream, or lemon juice, just adjust it to your taste. The sour cream seems to be the secret ingredient. I’ve had pareve versions, but the sour cream makes it taste like the real deal.

You can use your favorite mayonnaise, which means you can omit seed oils from this recipe if you’re avoiding them.

I don’t generally add dill, but you can add a couple tablespoons of fresh dill if that’s the way you love it.

Mix well, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

This will last for 3-4 days in the fridge, but trust me, if you love whitefish salad enough to make it, you won’t have any left over and everyone will be asking you to bring this to the next event.

It’s hard to say exactly how many this recipe will serve since some people like to eat 2 tablespoons and others will take half a cup. Taking that into account, this should serve 6-10 people.

Enjoy and bless your hands! PJC

Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.