While fishing on the open boat, Captain Bob V (captbobfishingfleet.com,) out of Mattituck on Saturday, Captain Bob Ceglowski and I got to talking about eating bluefish. I’m not a huge fan, but there have been times I’ve enjoyed them baked, cooked on the grill, or served as ceviche (raw fish in lime juice, the lime actually cooks the fish). My favorite way of eating them is smoked, which seems to work especially well with smaller blues ranging from large snappers to small cocktails of two or three pounds.
Captain Ceglowski noted that this year has seen a relatively tasty crop of bluefish in the Eastern reaches of Long Island Sound. “These blues,” he stated, “have been feeding on butterfish and don’t taste as oily as when they feed on bunker.”
Ceglowski suggested anglers give these fish a try, adding that their flesh this year is both whiter in appearance and more mild in taste than usual.
His suggested recipe:
“Put the fillet on a sheet of foil. Take a little Parmesan cheese, basil and garlic, plus a load of sliced tomatoes, and pile it all on top of the fillet. Fold the foil into a pouch and place it on the grill for 20 minutes."
My favorite recipe is to dip each fillet in mayonnaise, then dip it in seasoned bread crumbs. Place the fillets in the oven and bake at 350 until the crumbs are brown and the flesh appears ready to flake. At that point, raise the heat to broil and toast the bread crumb coating. This recipe works with just about any kind of fish.