I have been obsessed with herring since I was a kid. The texture of the fish combined with the tang of shmaltz and those delicious onions mixed in may be the only reason I loved to go to shul.  Usually when telling someone I love herring, I am accosted with comments such as “ewwwww, that is disgusting,” or “You are like an old Jewish man!”  As of late, herring seems to have become quite popular with the younger generation.  There are special websites www.shmaltzking.com where you can order gourmet quality herring in shmaltz or wine sauce.  You can also go to your local fish store, where you can order the herring filet and make the herring yourself.  This trend has become very popular in many communities.  Recently, there was an article on a guy in NYC who will only date women who love herring - it kind of  makes you wonder why he is almost 40 and can’t find his soul mate.  Either way, I like it all; I like reading the articles related to herring, I like looking at the websites of all the herring I can order, and most of all, I love to eat that slimy delicious treat you always find at an orthodox shul’s lunch.

My brother in law Yaak happens to be one of my favorite cooks. It may be the fact that he enjoys food as much as I do. Lately, our mutual thrill of food is herring. Friday night I feasted on 2 of the best types of  herring I have ever had, courtesy of Yaak. One was the original flavor and the second, a cilantro version.  The fillet was perfectly moist, the shmalts (oil) had seeped into the fish just enough to give it extra smoothness with out making it to mushy.  The onions had absorbed all the flavor of the fish and shmaltz and yet, it still maintained a satisfying crunch when you bit into it. Yaak and I grabbed some crackers, which in case you did not know happens to be the best accompaniment to this food. In one sitting we happily crunched and munched our way through most of the Herring dish.

Recipe for Standard Schmaltz:

Ingredients:
Herring fillets from the kosher market  (do this 48 hours prior to serving)
1 onion
Canola oil

Directions:
Cut the onion into bite size slices. Place 1/2 onion at the bottom of a small sealable container.
Pour oil from herring tray into container and add more canola oil to coat onions. Slice herring into 1/2 to 1 inch strips then add herring to container and add 2nd 1/2 of onion and more canola oil to coat.
Seal and refrigerate. Best served with whole wheat snacker crackers (very crispy and hold up well will scooping/dipping) Add cilantro to the above recipe for a cilantro version.

~ Recipe submitted by Aura Schwartz of Beauty and Food

My husband has never been a fan of salmon until we had it one Friday night at our friends, Mira & Levi. I have to admit, at first I was jealous that she was able to get him to eat two servings of something that he would never finish at home. But then I gave myself a mental slap and realized I would be ridiculous not to ask her how she made it. So, as often happens when leaving the Martinez residence, I went home that night with a fabulous new recipe!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Chopped cilantro
Salmon

Directions:
Combine the olive oil and lemon juice and pour it over the fish. Then put chopped cilantro on top and put it in a 500 degree oven for 20 minutes, uncovered.

~ Mira Martinez’s recipe submitted by Nina Safar

Ingredients:
4 fillets of tilapia
Wishbone Robusto Italian dressing
1 onion, sliced
1/4 cup Trader Joe’s tomato basil marinara sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Marinate (or coat) fillets in Italian dressing. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and put a very thin layer of Italian dressing on top of it. Lay coated fillets in pan. Mix marinara sauce, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper by shaking it in a closed container or ziplock bag. Spoon the sauce over the fillets. Slice an onion and lay the slices on top of and around the fillets. Cover the pan and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Then, turn the oven up to 400 degrees and bake uncovered for 10 more minutes.

~ Recipe submitted by Sarrit Kovacs

I have been slacking in the kitchen these past few months and wanted a fresh new recipe for dinner. I called up my sister in law Sarrit who told me about the following tasty dish her mom often makes. I am a huge fan of my mother in laws cooking so I knew without a doubt it would taste great however I also know that some of her dishes can be somewhat complicated so I was relieved to find out that this one is not only rich with flavor but is also easy to make. I served the fish with couscous and a fresh garden salad.

Ingredients:
Tilapia, either whole or fillets
Cumin
Black Pepper
Paprika
Salt
olive oil
1 onion sliced
1 tomato sliced
several potatoes sliced thinly

Directions:
Pour some olive oil and the above listed spices into a 9 x 13 inch pan and mix the potato, onion, and tomato slices with olive oil mixture to coat them. Then layer the potato, onion, and tomato slices in the pan. Rub the WHOLE tilapia or tilapia filets with the same olive oil/spice mixture and put the rubbed tilapia on top of the layered vegetables. Bake at 350 degrees, checking after 45 minutes to see if potatoes are done.

* If you are not using a whole tilapia, and instead are using fillets, check the fish after about 20 minutes and if it is ready take the fillets off of the vegetables and set aside. Return the pan with the vegetables back into the oven and bake until potatoes are ready (soft). Then place fillets back on top of vegetables and serve.

~ Frida Zipor’s recipe submitted by Nina Safar

Ingredients:
1 yellow onion diced
1 large tomato diced
1 loaf of gefilta fish

Directions:
Saute the onions and tomatoes. Drizzle some olive oil into a small loaf pan then place the gefilta fish in it (remove the paper beforehand) Pour the veggies on top and bake it on 400 for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (Uncovered for the first half hour and covered for the remaining time)

~ Recipe submitted by Shany Baitz

Ingredients:
1 salmon, about 6-7 pounds, thoroughly cleaned, boned and butterflied

Stuffing:
1 cup finely ground almonds
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and grated
1 medium onion, very finely chopped
1 bunch flat parsley, minced
2 eggs
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking liquid:
1 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 good pinches saffron
4 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 medium size onions, finely sliced
2 lemons, unpeeled, finely sliced

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix stuffing ingredients thoroughly. Stuff the fish, and wrap it tightly in foil.
Mix all cooking liquid ingredients and place in a baking pan only large enough to hold the fish. Place the fish on top. Bake about 1 hour. Serve hot or at room temperature, with some of the cooking liquid on each serving.

~ Recipe submitted by Levana Kirschenbaum of www.levanacooks.com for more great passover recipes go to, Levana cooks for Passover!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large tomato, peeled, seeded and diced small
1/4 cup wine vinegar
1/3 cup black or golden raisins
2 tablespoons sucanat
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted (300 °F about 12 minutes)
8 snapper or tilapia fillets, about 6 ounces each

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the tomato and sauté 3 more minutes. Add vinegar, raisins, brown sugar, parsley, salt and pepper and sauté 3 more minutes. Place fish fillets in an oven-proof pan just large enough to hold them. Pour sauce over them. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the pine nuts on the fish and serve hot or at room temperature

~ Recipe submitted by Levana Kirschenbaum of www.levanacooks.com for more great passover recipes go to, Levana cooks for Passover!

Ingredients:

2 fillets salmon
2 TBSP margarine
olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
lemon juice
salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Put ingredients 2 through 5 in a frying pan and heat until margarine is melted. Pour half of this sauce into a greased baking pan. Place salmon fillets on top of sauce in baking pan. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top of salmon fillets and pour rest of sauce on top.
Bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Flip pieces and sprinkle salt and pepper on top and coat with sauce from the baking pan. Bake another 10 minutes or so until cooked (opaque inside).

~ Recipe submitted by Sarrit Kovacs

Ingredients:

4 fillets of Tilapia (u can cut each one lengthwise to 2 smaller pieces)
1 small onion cut to stripes
1 ripe tomato, diced
1-2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh cilantro
1 small red pepper cut to stripes
1 small carrot thinly sliced
*optional:
1 Idaho potato peeled and very thinly sliced
1/2 cup canned or cooked chick peas

Ingredients for Sauce:

1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup water
1 Tbs paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbs salt (use separately)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 550. Place fish in bottom of pan. Prepare all vegetables and spread on top of the fish, sprinkle with 1 Tbs salt. Mix all sauce ingredients in a cup and evenly pour on fish and veg, mix with hands so that spices blend well into fish and vegetables. Cover and bake for 15-20 minutes (if pieces of fish are thin 15 min will do).

*This recipe works the best with Salmon. If that’s what you choose, bake for at least 20 minutes and not more than 25.

~ Recipe submitted by Hila Liani

Ingredients:

4 fillets of salmon (can be cut up lengthwise or crosswise)
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, whole or cut up any style
1 cup sliced white mushrooms (optional)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced or grated (grated is better)
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 550. Place fish in bottom of pan and sprinkle with salt. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl and pour over fish. Cover and bake for 20 minutes.

*This recipe works great with Tilapia or Flounder (bake 5 minutes less if using these fish).

~ Recipe submitted by Hila Liani