Janet Wilder > wrote:

> Speaking of mincing tilapia, I use it for gefilte fish. I can't get the
> "traditional" pike, whitefish, carp and mullet that my mother used up
> north. I have found that using the same techniques and ingredients
> other than different fish, works really well. After all, it's just a
> fish dumpling that gets its flavor from being poached in a tasty liquid.

Ha! Fish dumplings poached in a tasty liquid are surely a worthy
undertaking, but they are, by definition, not *gefilte* fish. There are
names and terms that still retain their original meaning and "gefilte
fisch" is one of them. It is still made the traditional way in Europe,
where it originated. I posted a traditional version a few times.

Fish dumplings of various kinds are a different kind of dish/kettle of
fish. Examples are the French quenelles de poisson and particularly de
brochet/pike, (though merlan/whiting is popular, too), as well as the
various Russian "tel'noye" dishes (the word comes from "telo", "body" or
"flesh", meaning only the boneless, skinless, fillet parts are used).
The recipe I posted in the thread was essentially an example of the
latter. There are many more kinds of such dishes and many different
kinds of fish can be used, sometimes in combination.

Victor