Bluefish is one of my all-time favorite foods. But once you get off the East Coast, it seems like hardly anyone knows it. This is a simple preparation, it has a great name, it’s pretty eye-catching on the plate and, most importantly, it tastes extremely terrifically good.
You can catch bluefish, in season, all the way up and down the Atlantic coast, from Maine down to Miami. U.S. wild-caught bluefish is sustainably fished and harvested, so aside from the fact that its flavor is superfine, it’s also a good ecological choice as well. Monahan’s has had it in stock as well so now’s the time to buy a few filets to bring home for dinner!
Writing not long ago in the New York Times, Sam Sifton says,
Bluefish is not a famous table fish; it is … widely available, but you don’t see it in restaurants often, even in this ravaged-ocean, sell-anything era. … A fresh-caught bluefish of moderate weight, quickly cleaned, and kept on ice, is as fine an eating fish as American waters produce.
My friend, wonderful food writer Melissa Clark says, “If you like tuna, swordfish, and striped bass, you’ll adore bluefish.” I like all of those fish, but I probably like bluefish best of all! Writer Wade Truong says, “there aren’t many fish in the Bay that are tastier.” I agree!
One fun way to enjoy bluefish is to fry it up with a bit of bacon. Obviously, you can use olive oil if you’re not eating meat. To make the dish, fry a few strips of Nueske’s applewood smoked bacon in a heavy-bottomed skillet over moderate heat. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain, leaving the fat in the pan. Pat the raw fish dry with a paper towel. Add the fish to the still-hot bacon fat in the skillet, skin side down (I think the skin is the best part!). Cook until the skin is browned, then flip and cook quickly on the other side. If you need more bacon fat, add a bit from your reserves or use a glug of olive oil. While the fish is cooking, coarsely chop the bacon and set aside.
The bluefish goes great with grits—the Anson Mills grits we serve at the Roadhouse (where we’re happy to sell you some uncooked to finish at home) are of course marvelous. It’s also delicious on a salad—just put it on a bed of local greens and make a vinaigrette with olive oil, cider vinegar, and good Dijon mustard. If you cook it and cool it, you can make a bluefish salad the same way you would a tuna salad.
If you don’t feel like cooking, I’m happy to say that the Roadhouse has been able to get fresh bluefish on the menu in recent weeks. I’ve been ordering some regularly to take home at the end of the evening! And while very few of our Midwestern customers have had it previously, every single person that’s tried it on my recommendation has really loved it!
