Ingredients

• 3 pounds carp (meat)
• 1 1/2 pounds whitefish, pickerel, or rockfish (meat)
• 1 1/2 pounds yellow pike or buffel (meat)
• 6 onions
• 2 tablespoons salt, or to taste
• 6 eggs
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 /2–1 cup matzah meal
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon almond extract or 1/4 cup ground almonds (optional)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons pepper
• Horseradish (bottled or fresh)
• 4 stalks celery, cut in 4-inch slices
• 3 onions, sliced
• 6 carrots, sliced on the bias
• 8 cups water, or enough to cover bones with 1 inch to spare (use less rather than more)
• Bones of fish (and heads, if desired)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions

1. Place all the stock ingredients in a large kettle with a cover. Bring to a boil, then partially cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. While waiting for the pot to boil, begin preparing the fish.
2. In a wooden bowl, add to the ground-up fish all the other ingredients listed under Fish, carefully chopping very fine and blending. You can also use the grinder on a mixer. Wet your hands and form the fish into fat, oval-shaped patties, carefully sliding each into the simmering stock.
3. Simmer over a low flame slowly for 20 to 30 minutes or for 2 hours. Allow to cool in the pot and carefully remove all the patties, placing them on a platter.
4. After the fish has been removed, strain off the cooking liquid. This stock should then jell when chilled; if it does not, simply add a package of unflavored gelatin, following instructions on the package.
5. Serve the chilled gefilte fish with the jellied fish stock, horseradish, and of course the carrots.