Bluefish Help

[LynnInletFisher]

Do you guys know any good recipes for bluefish that help get rid of that strong taste and is easy to make.

Thanks in advance!

[racn35]

feedem to flounder

[rj]

http://www.tidalfish.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif Don't like them Bluefish!!
Me Niether !!
unless I use the following recipe


ingredients:
Bluefish filets-as many as you want
canned crushed tomatoes-enough to cover your filets
minced onion--dried
Montreal steak seasoning


place filets on aluminum foil-on grill

cover with crushed tomatoes

add some dried minced onion

shake on Montreal steak seasoning-use liberaly

grill till done!!



this recipe works with many types of fish-but it really works on well on bluefish

[Hippie Joe]

Do you guys know any good recipes for bluefish that help get rid of that strong taste and is easy to make.

Thanks in advance!

the grill sure helps; after cleaning if don't cook right away, I store 'em in milk. throw em o9ut rather than freeze em

[Fishwagon.]

The other trick is to bleed them immediately after catching. If you go down to some websites from NcC, such as reddrumtackle or nc watermen, and ask the question, you will get several answers. I hear of grilling or smoking them often. The milk helps also. I don't eat them, so I wouldnt know.

[JimBob]

I've had smoked and it's great! Otherwise I just don't eat any over two days old. The smaller ones, at least, have a very mild flavor when fresh.

Jim

[mikie]

Make sure you cut out ALL of the dark red meat along the lateral line.

[jcr]

Try, smoking them. Scale, gut and cut off the head. Left overs make a great dip for crackers.

[Capt.Nick]

Make sure you cut out ALL of the dark red meat along the lateral line.
That,skinning them and bleeding them like posted,and they taste alot like stripers.The dark meat & skin is the strong tasting meat.You'll waste some meat but the results are worth it.The cheeks are very good on the larger ones too.

[Jim Hodge]

Simple recipe:

Cover the blue fillet with bacon and broil in oven until the bacon is crispy/done...the blue should also be done once the bacon is crispy. Enjoy!

[runnin late]

I used RJ's recipe (above) with the fish wrapped in foil on the grill...it turned out great. One modification I made was, since I didn't have crushed tomatoes, I put my favorite salsa on the fish while it cooked!

[wetaline]

Ok here it is. The best kept bluefish recipe on the blue planet. Remove as much of the blood line as possible from fillets. Boil the fillets. Use the boiled fillets in place of crab meat in your favorite crabcake recipe. Im dead serious, you wont belive how authentic this is. Try it and tell me how you like it. We love em.

[M HOGUE]

I Bleed Mine As Soon As I Catch It. Cut It Behind The Gill Plates And Bleed It Over The Side Of The Boat Or In A Seperate Container. Then I Keep Them Well Iced And Eat Them That Day Or The Next. Marinate Them In Olive Oil, Choped Garlic, Chopped Fresh Rosemary And A Splash Of Lime Or Limon For 30 Min.
Soak A Large Rosemary Sprig While The Fish Is Marinating Then Put It On The Coals Or Grill Rack While You Are Grilling The Fish. Close The Grill Lid To Get The Full Benifit Of The Rosemary Smoke.

[jhmorgan]

Workin on a headboat, I get a lot of blues that people dont want becasue "they taste bad." Captains always make fun of me for takin them but all you need to do is..........
- catch a blue
- fillet
- Cut off a big piece of foil, fold in half so now its doubled. Fold up just a hair on hte edges to make a sort of wall
- Pour on some italian dressing, making sure you put some right on the sides of each fillet that touch the foil
- sprinkle on a little dry lemon pepper seasoning
- grill (either charcoal or gas makes no difference) until meat is flaky

the beauty of the grill is leaving on the skin. trust me i love this recipe and most people that have tried it turn out liking bluefish

[JeremyH]

Properly bled and iced--and eaten quickly -- bluefish is one of the tastiest fishes in the sea. It only tastes strong when it's begun to spoil, which happens fast. While the blue is alive, make some cuts in the gills and hold the fish by the tail in a bucket of water. Once bled, bury it in crushed ice for a few hours before fileting or cleaning. You'll want to eat your bluefish the day it was caught or the next day, and keep it buried in ice until you do.

My favorite bluefish recipes are:

1. Brush filets with olive oil, course sea salt, and pepper. Broil skin side up and serve with lemon wedges.

2. Dust filets with flour and pan-fry.

3. Marinate in a mixture of Kikkoman soy sauce, freshly squeezed lime juice, and brown sugar. Barbeque over charcoal.

4. Bluefish is excellent raw. Try an Italian "pesce crudo" preparation of cubed filets, course sea salt, pepper, toasted pine nuts, a drizzle of good olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon. Try adding thinly sliced Serrano chilies for some kick.

Enjoy!

[Evil Dic]

I have been smoking big blues since the 1970's! This is what I do, and if you do this you will not be able to wait to smoke another one. Filet the blue and cut out all the dark meat on the back of the filet you possible can. Next; make up a cold water brine. I use either barbeque sauce, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Y ou can also use bottled sauce for fish the chinese use, in something sweet in flavor. I soak the filet's in the brine, immersed in water, covered, and refridgerated for 24 hours. I use a small electric smoker from Cabela's. I get smoking chips, misquete usually, and wrap them in two foil rolls with holes punched in them. I lay them right on the burner, and fire the smoker up. Next; make sure the pan above the foil has plenty of water in it, so the fish doesn't dry out. I take my bluefish out of the brine, dry them on paper towels, lay them on tin foil sprayed with Pam, and season them up with garlic powder, salt, pepper, etc. and whatever you may like. Sometimes I put bacon on top of the filets. I smoke them, depending on the thickness for 3 hours. Sometimes longer if the filets are very thick. I just smoked some 9 pounders for 4 hours. If that bluefish is not firm and flakey, then smoke the filet's some more. I think you'll enjoy this recipe for smoking. I learned it from the Eastern Shore folks!

[lindbeck25]

Just wanted to mention I made bluefish cakes last night with fillets that have been frozen for 3 weeks. While I normally agree that fish should be eaten as soon as possible, you shouldnt feel like you have to throw them away if you dont. All I did was bleed them and put them on ice when caught and then filleted them at the dock. When I got home I cut out any remaining dark meat and then washed them, pat dry and double bagged them, getting as much air out as possible.

Like I said, 3 weeks later still fine, while I did make cakes with them, I eat some of the fillets straight out of the broiler, no seasoning or anything, and they were still good.

[tober]

melt butter pour on one side then use blacken seasoning put in freezer for 2-5 minutes
then filp over and repeat while in hte freezer start the grill put a black iron skillet on it let it get reely hot put fish in skillet for 1-2 miutes per side your done and the wife does not yell about he smoke in the house

[Johnfishes]

I agree that smoking med blues or marinating in italian dressing and lots of black pepper on the grill is my favorite.

More importantly, bleed em out as soon as you catch em, gut em, and immediately put them on ice. What ever you do don't allow them to lay in the ice water in the cooler. Drain off the water periodically so the fish can't soak in the liquid. Not sure why but the water will ruin the fish quickly.

[bhess]

This is the secret.... Gut and scale the blue, take a piece of foil big enough to wrap the fish, sprinkle a little lemon and salt inside the fish, stuff the fish with manure, wrap the foil around the fish, bake at 325 for 30 minutes, remove from oven, let cool a few minutes, scoop out the manure, throw away the fish and eat the manure... it tastes better than the blue!

[racn35]

no wonder your eyes are brown !!! Your full of sh*t !!

[rattler]

if you freeze blues its gotta be cakes. fresh, I love them on the grill. bleed them ASAP. I was taught to cut them around the tail to keep the heart pumping longer. works for me.

[Tom Powers]

I didn't read all of the posts but here is what I do.

Fillet the fish and cut out all of the red meat.

Soak them in Italian Dressing for about 15 to 30 minutes.

Lay the fillets on a baking pan, sprinkle on some old bay spice, and bake it at 350 until flaky.

Simple enough.

If you freeze it put it in a vacuum back with 1/8 cup of Italian dressing. Even still I would much rather have fresh bluefish over frozen.

[caveyhit]

I have to agree with RACN35 on that one. Bluefish is delicious. I always soak the fillets in buttermilk for about an hour and then grill it. To make it better for my wife I heat up orange juice and honey and glaze it on the fillets.

[Riverstwo]

I love to experiment with cooking. Last year blues came up into the Elk River because of the salt line moving so far north. What a surprise, I caught bluefish every night for two weeks. So, after much experimenting, I'm sure this is a winner. Although it does take some work but its close to gourmet blue fish as one can get!

4 Bluefish
Cut off head and tail
Slice up the belly and take out the guts
grab bone and pull out all in one shot, it gets most of the bones, you have to really dig your fingers in to get it and it should yank out in one section

Cut up 2 celery stalks w/leaves into small dices
cut up 1/4 of a whole red pepper (diced)
cut up 1/4 of a sweet medium yellow onion and dice
chop 2 green onions and 2 garlic cloves
Place a pat of butter in a saute pan and saute all together for a few minutes
Add a pinch of salt, a few shakes of Nature Seasons, a few shakes of Dillweed and 1/2 tsp of tarragon to taste.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup of Progresso italian breadcrums into the pan while sauteing the mixture
Add 1/2 tsp seafood seasoning
When mixture is soft, fill cavity of each bluefish
Take some creamy horseradish sauce and rub on outside of bluefish skin and also
on the bottom of the baking pan
Add a little more seafood seasoning to the outside of the bluefish
Bake pre preheated oven at 325 degrees for about 35 minutes
Serve with a white wine and a vegetable

Its excellent.

[racn35]

pile all that "stuff" on a paper towel and you could eat the paper towel and call it mahi for that matter.......EVOO and a pinch of kosher salt is all you need on any fish if you really wanna taste it

[little bubba]

Here is my way. You will like it.
1. Put filets in buttermilk overnight in fridge.
2. Take out and drain. You can wash with water if you like.
3. Put eggs in bowl and stir.
4. Take your French's Mustard and put a real good squirt into the egg.
5. Stir well.
6. Take fish and dip into egg mixture.
7. Roll in House-Autry fish breader mix. Fry until golden brown.
This works for Bluefish and Spanish Macks. You will like it. Guaranteed!!!!!!!
LBubba

[JKCameron]

Bluefish are excellent.....but......you must fillet, skin and then cut out the dark red blood line. If you do that, you will come up with two very nice sections of the fillet. Forget about freezing them, catch only what you will cook that night/day. I like to cut them into chunks, little egg wash or olive oil, Italian Bread crumbs and fry.

Smoked Bluefish fillets are great as well. Same fillet, skin, and cut the blood line out scenario, then smoke them. I like the smoked fillets when they are a little dried out on the edges and crunchy. Great just the way smoked fish is or, mix up some mayo and whipped cream cheese with crumbled up smoked Blues and you have some great eating.

Enjoy.

[bogman]

I have tried eating Bluefish every way imaginable and I only tolerate it with lots of lemon juice!

Then I tried a new way. A lot of the trick is as mentioned. Take good care of the fish when caught.
Bleed it and put on ice immediately. As soon as you can filet the fish and cut out the dark red meat and the fatty belly meat and discard.
In a Pyrex baking dish lay the filets on pats of butter. Then put a little water, white wine and lemon juice in the dish.
Sprinkle filets lightly with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. Poach at 350 degrees until done.
Carefully remove filets from pan and then sprinkle lightly (a little goes a long way) with McCormicks Chesapeake Seafood Seasoning.
Serve with lemon wedges. Fast, simple and does not taste like Bluefish at all! It tastes like fish with a Maryland twist.

If you give this a try please post back what you think.

[longestjd]

I tried some fresh blues grilled in a tequilla lime civiche sauce and they were great! I usually use this recipe for mahi, but it did well with blues.
you can find a recipe online:
A little orange juice, little juice from a lemon and a lime (or two), a couple shots of tequilla (save the patron for drinking), and a little brown sugar. Marinade the fish in this mix for about 30 minutes and grill. While your grilling the fish, reduce the marinade until it makes a delicious sauce that you can drizzle over the fish.

A true civiche should "cook" the fish over a couple hours using the acidity, and without any heat, but I'm not quite that brave yet.

[tubby]

Smoke em!!!

[dist2109]

For what its worth my recipe for smoked Blue using cold smoker I leave skin on if under 5# - make a brine soy sauce ,brown sugar water , some salt , bl pepper brine should be fairly salty to taste but also a little sweet put in brine for 24 hrs stir at 12 hrs so all peices are covered COLD SMOKE FOR 3-4 HRS then finish in oven 250 10 minutes let cool store in air tight container keep dry will last for 2 weeks Late summer fish have a higher fat content and are the best!

[markbeazley]

I make a mixture of mayo and old bay and be generous with the old bay. Spread a good amount over the filet, after you have removed the bloodline of course, then bake till flakey and the mayo mix begins to brown. Suprised no one else has mentioned this yet.

[coanranger]

I use a simple "clamshell type" grilling device. For 1-2.5 lb. blue, behead and gut after scaleing. Wash in cold water and dry.Score the fish with a sharp knife about 3 times on each side. sprinkle with lemon juice, the rub lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in the cooking basket and cook over hot coals about 3 min. on each side or until skin begins to char. Move to a section of the grill with no coals directly underneath for a few minutes, preferably covered. Bluefish and mackeral are delicious this way.

I also dislike bluefish after it is frozen.

[imnemtb]

I put the fillets in a zip lock bag with milk, salt, pepper and put in fridge for a few hours. Just coat with your favorite dry mix and pan fry. I've always gotten great reviews for them this way.