1 (22-oz.) frozen gefilte fish loaf
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
Preheat oven to 350 F. Either thaw the fish loaf enough to remove the paper wrapper or run the wrapped fish loaf under cold water until it defrosts enough to take the inside paper wrapper off.
Wrap the frozen fish loaf in the puff pastry, making sure to fold over the end seams together to seal the pastry. If you get really ambitious, you could fold the seam on top, and maybe flute it to give it a little decorative look. If you are artistic, use cookie cutters or canapé cutters to cut out any shape you want from the excess pastry (fish shapes would be cute!) and decorate the loaf however you’d like. Whichever way you do it, the loaf will look impressive.
Cut a piece of aluminum foil large enough to wrap the entire loaf. Spray the foil first with non-stick spray to prevent the pastry from sticking. Wrap the pastry-wrapped loaf in the foil and seal closed.
Bake the wrapped loaf at 350 F for 1 hour. Open the foil and bake for one more hour to brown and puff up the pastry. Remove from oven and chill completely.
Serve and enjoy! I prefer to place the uncut fish loaf on the table on a rectangular platter, and then cut it as I serve it. When I have guests over, this recipe always makes a big impact!
Fancier variation: Peel and cook one large carrot until soft. Defrost the fish loaf just enough so you can split it open. Place the cooked carrot in the centre of the loaf, and press the loaf back together before wrapping the fish in the pastry. Bake as directed above. When you cut a slice of the fish, you will have a disk of carrot in the centre.