Passover Spicy Gefilte Fish Baked in Peppers, Honoring Hadassah’s Global Members

Spicy Gefilte Fish Poblano variation 1 photo courtesy of the author.

Spicy Gefilte Fish Poblano Variation 2 photo courtesy of the author.

At Passover, I think of what it means to be part of something larger. Having shared goals. Working toward the betterment of others. The connection I have with Jewish women here and abroad through not just religion and foodways, but through Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America and Hadassah International, our global partner.

The worldwide impact of Hadassah in America and Hadassah International is vast, as, together, the two support the Hadassah Medical Organization’s clinical care, medical training and education, affecting the people of more than 100 countries on five continents. HMO is known for its commitment to serving all people regardless of race, religion, or nationality and has helped to save the lives of so many with its outreach to other countries during times of crises like the earthquakes in Mexico and the war in Ukraine.

As Hadassah President Carol Ann Schwartz reports, “During the last decade alone, Hadassah has helped to save and improve lives in more than 35 countries.”

So this Passover, I am recognizing the many backgrounds of our Hadassah and Hadassah International members at my seder and in other holiday menus. I’ll be offering charoset from different communities (charoset symbolizing the clay the Israelite slaves used to make bricks); Sephardic and Mizrachi sides and mains; Ashkenazi brisket; an Indian dessert; and this Spicy Gefilte Fish Baked in Peppers, which is inspired by the Jewish food of Mexico City, soon to be the home of Hadassah Hospital Bosque Real, the first Hadassah hospital in the Americas.

Gefilte Fish is thought to be an Ashkenazi Jewish dish, but many Eastern European Jews who settled in Mexico and elsewhere in Central and South America add local flavors and spice to their traditional foods, which inspired me to add salsa to my gefilte fish. Since the word gefilte means stuffed or filled, I decided to stuff the fish into small, sweet peppers. Serve Spicy Gefilte Fish Baked in Peppers as you would regular gefilte fish or use as an appetizer as “gefilte fish poppers.” For more spice, substitute poblano peppers (see Poblano Variation below).

Spicy Gefilte Fish Baked in Peppers
Serves 8 (doubles well)

3/4 cup Passover salsa, divided (see recipe below)
2 lbs. mini sweet peppers (see notes)
Vegetable oil
1 lb. boneless filets of rockfish, red snapper or similar
1 1/2 tsps. fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs
1 medium carrot
1 small onion
1 large celery stalk
1/4 cup matzah meal
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
1 tsp. sugar, or to taste
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. crumbled, dried oregano leaves
1/4 tsp. cayenne, optional
Chopped cilantro or parsley
Jarred, ground white horseradish, optional

Prepare salsa. Oil rimmed baking sheet. Choose peppers that are about 2.5 to 3.5 inches long and lay flat. Leave stems on. Slit peppers horizontally, leaving connected at tip and stem ends. Pull out and discard seeds.

Remove any skin from fish. Place fish, juice and eggs in food processor. Process until puréed. Scrape into large bowl. Process carrot, onion and celery in food processor (no need to clean work bowl) until minced but not puréed. Combine in bowl with fish and 1/4 cup salsa. Mix in matzah meal, salt, sugar, black pepper, oregano and red pepper. Fry a spoonful of batter in oil to check for seasoning. Taste and add salt, cayenne, and/or sugar as needed.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Firmly pack fish into peppers, mounding an inch above top. Place on prepared sheet, bake 25-30 minutes until the peppers are tender and filling is firm and lightly browned. Serve hot, warm or room temperature topped with cilantro and remaining salsa. Pass horseradish if desired.

Passover Salsa: Combine 3/4 cup fresh diced tomatoes, 1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic, 2 Tbsps. finely chopped garlic, 1 Tbsp. minced jalapeño (or to taste; seed for milder flavor) and 2 Tbsps. finely chopped cilantro or parsley. Mix. Add 1/8 tsp. salt and 1 1/2 Tbsps. fresh lemon juice. Stir well. Use 3/4 cup for recipe. Refrigerate remainder and reserve for another use.

Notes: Bags of mini sweet peppers are available in supermarkets’ produce sections. You may not need all of them for this recipe, depending on size and shape. (Select ones that lay relatively flat. Keep remainder for another use.) Substitute small red, yellow and/or orange bell peppers. Cut in half, top to bottom, seed, lay flat and stuff.

Poblano Variation: Choose about 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. poblano peppers that lay relatively flat. (Choose the smallest possible or use larger peppers and serve in slices.) Prep peppers as above. Make the stuffing and fill as directed. Bake 30 to 40 minutes (timing varies). Serve hot, warm or room temperature. If slicing, allow peppers to cool slightly, then cut into rounds or sections. Poblano peppers have a stronger chili taste and are hotter. Garnish as above and/or top with small chunks of fresh avocado.

Faith Kramer is a member of the Hadassah Writers’ Circle, a dynamic and diverse writing group for leaders and members to express their thoughts and feelings about all the things Hadassah does to make the world a better place. It’s where they celebrate their personal Hadassah journeys and share their Jewish values, family traditions and interpretations of Jewish texts. Since 2019, the Hadassah Writers’ Circle has published nearly 500 columns in The Times of Israel Blogs and other Jewish media outlets. Interested? Please contact hwc@hadassah.org.

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