Text 15433, 88 rader
Skriven 2007-05-15 07:28:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
Ärende: And yet another blue food
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I've never had really fresh bluefish just mediocre frozen fillets. I
used to think it was a cheap coarse smelly trash fish until Dave S.
set me straight.

I hear it's bluefish season again on the Atlantic coast....

From: Simon Bao in Philly

I knew with some certainty that we'd be eating bluefish this
weekend, as the dock reports all week told of the return of the
bluefish, en masse.  Schools of them offshore, schools in the surf,
some slowly moving up into the big bay.  Unruly, thuggish bluefish
shoving everything else out of their way.  Mostly schools of snapper
blues (small "baby" bluefish), but with some of the big bomber blues
mixed in.  If they're in the waters anywhere, they are always in the
waters right at Cape May Point and they're the easiest thing to
catch.  A kid who can't catch a bluegill in a bucket can catch a
bluefish from the beach here.  So I knew we'd eat bluefish.

If you've had bluefish, and haven't liked it, please consider trying
it again.  It is one of the oily fishes, and it is full flavored.
It is *not* Dover Sole.  But my own experiences suggest that many
who think they don't like bluefish have been served a fillet that
was less than perfectly fresh, or was cooked in some inappropriate
fashion.  Grilling over charcoal is best, followed by gas grilling,
then broiling, then baking.  If anyone approaches you with battered
and deep-fried bluefish, or bluefish in a butter/cream sauce with
dainty shallots, call Homeland Security, that person is up to
something that threatens us all.

Because it is a rich fish, bluefish doesn't need to be force-fed
some flavors, like a piece of farm-raised tilapia.  But it will
stand up to some assertive flavors, and to some time spent with
herbs or spices or sources of heat.  A bit of marinade with some
mustard in it is always good.  In this case, I made a "marinade" and
let the fish pick up flavors for about 45 minutes.  I used canola
oil because, to Vietnamese, olive oil is a flavored oil and not
always appropriate.  Amounts are vague and approximate, as I don't
measure things I am "throwing together" but I also think amounts for
a marinade are kind of intuitive.  In a month, when the pantry is
better stocked, I'll make something entirely different.

6 tablespoons of canola oil (or use olive)
2-3 tablespoon fresh lime juice
some of the skin from that lime, slivered
2 teaspoons hot sauce
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 small onion, very finely minced
1 "knob" of ginger, slivered
heavy pinch of pepperoncino or dried red pepper flakes
splash of fish sauce, about 3/4 tablespoon (or use some salt)
coarse ground black pepper

In our case, friends caught lots of snappers, but also 3 big bomber
blues which were more than enough.  One of the bombers will be
smoked tomorrow if the weather clears, another perfect way to treat
the fish, and the other two fish gave me more than enough nice thick
fillets for broiling.  Grilling would have been better, but the
weather was nasty and one had the feeling the lightning was just
*looking* for someone to deliberately strike.  E.g., some guy out on
a deck, holding a drink in one hand and standing next to a metal
charcoal grill.

If one likes to accessorize or sauce a broiled fish fillet, then in
the case of bluefish I'd recommend a salsa.  Something spicy,
acidic, sharp.

The small, thin fillets cut from the small "snapper blues" also make
great sandwiches, but one should really only use the thin,
mildly-flavored snapper fillets for this.  Season the fillets simply
with some salt and pepper, and broil them quickly.  Serve them as a
sandwich on slices of your best hearty bread with a little mayo,
slices of smoked bacon, slices of tomato or avocado, some perilla or
arugula or watercress or other flavorful greens.  I think avocado
puts the calorie count way over the top but I understand why it's
popular.  

And FYI, leftover broiled bluefish makes a next-day salad, along the
same lines as a tuna salad, but guests will rave about it.  -simon

Cheers

YK Jim


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