This recipe was a favourite of Shani Gabay, who was killed at the Nova party on October 7.
On Fridays, Michal Gabay would always prepare the spicy fish that her daughter Shani Gabya loved so much. "Every week she asked me to burn her mouth and put as many hot peppers in the pot as possible," Michal recalls longingly. "She would say that the heat whetted her appetite." And, on the weekends, when Shani stayed at home in central Israel, she would prepare the dish for herself and her friends. “She would never miss it” says Michal.
Thanks to this dish, Shani decided to stay for Friday dinner with her family on October 6, and only after the meal did she set off for the Nova festival near Kibbutz Re'im, where she worked at the party. That dinner was the last time her family saw her.
For 47 days, they didn't know what happened to Shani. Her father searched for her at the party grounds in Re'im for a week, hoping to find any clue of her whereabouts. In their hearts, Shani’s family hoped she was kidnapped and wished for her safe return. Nearly six weeks later, they learned of her fate when her necklace, shaped like a half-moon, was found. Shani was killed on the morning of October 7 and accidentally buried with another young woman. RPGs fired by Hamas terrorists at the ambulance where she was being treated for gunshot wounds had killed her. Shani’s funeral coincided with her grandfather's yahrzeit (death anniversary) and, on what should have been her 26th birthday, her family concluded the Shiva mourning period.
Shani was born and raised in Yokne'am, a city 30 minutes from Haifa. Loved ones describe her as always surrounded by good friends, making everyone feel that they were important to her. At age 5, she nearly lost her sight due to a cyst in her eye, but recovered and embraced life. She traveled solo around the world for months, from India to Costa Rica, often surfing on her travels. A passionate singer, she auditioned for the “Rising Star” reality show and graduated with honors in law. She often had her beloved pitbull dog, Alpha, by her side.
Michalr recalls that food was always her daughter's true passion. Shani enjoyed both simple, everyday dishes like schnitzel, ptitim, and bourekas, as well as meals at high-end restaurants. She even served as a cook during her military service and loved preparing meals for her friends.
"She liked to experiment with new dishes, flavors, and seasonings, and always asked me to try to reinvent myself in the kitchen," Michal shares. "But with the spicy fish, she insisted on keeping it exactly the same every week, just with an extra kick of spice if possible," she chuckles.
Today is the first time Michal has made this dish since October 6. "Honestly," she says, "I stopped cooking altogether after that. Food just reminds me of her too much."
Method:
- Prepare the fish: Sprinkle the salt evenly on the fillets and set aside for 1-2 minutes. Rinse the fillets in a bowl filled with water and the lemon juice.
- Prepare the seasoned oil: Mix all the ingredients in a separate bowl. Place the rinsed fillets in the seasoned oil and set aside.
- Prepare the vegetables: Line the bottom of a sauté pan with an even layer of sliced tomatoes. Arrange the potato and carrot slices on top.
- Add the peppers, chickpeas and peeled garlic cloves on top.
- Remove the fish from the seasoned oil and place on top of the vegetables. Add 125ml boiling water to the seasoned oil, mix well and pour over the fish.
- Sprinkle the chopped coriander on top and bring to a boil over a high heat.
- Reduce to a low heat, cover and gently simmer until the vegetables soften, 20-30 minutes. Occasionally spoon some of the sauce over the fish.
“A Place at the Table" is a commemorative project that documents the favourite dishes of those lost on October 7 with the help of their families. This recipe appears exactly as the family makes it; it has not been edited.
If you make this recipe share a photo of it and tag it with #a_place_at_the_table to honour the memory of the late Shani Gabay.
