I grilled (well, steamed on the grill) a beautiful piece of Bluefish the other night, and it brought back great childhood memories. At some point in a few summers running, my Dad and his buddies would rise early and head to the Jersey Shore "when the blues were running". Famous for its fight, the Bluefish would readily sacrifice themselves by the dozen for the fishing parties who sought them.
Late in the day, Dad would return and conduct a fish cleaning symposium for my brothers and me--then watch as we macerated the fish in the backyard.
He would then cook the fish on the grill in a way I've not heard others do it, but it remains the only way I do. He'd chop up about a cup each of green pepper, red pepper, yellow pepper, tomato and onion---lay it over the top of the fish fillet (or near fillet, as there were always bones) atop a big sheet of aluminum foil, throw in a little butter and then wrap it all tightly in the foil. Throw this contraption in a hot grill for 20 minutes and a feast for the senses would emerge. The bluefish is white and flaky, the veggies seep a bit of their flavor into the already flavorful meat, and the result simply delights.
My repetition of this practice Sunday night brought back many good memories of summers long ago. Don't miss out--the Blues are running....
I have the same fond memories of Dad and Bluefish. Never have liked peppers, but the smell of them cooking with the fish is heaven!
ReplyDeleteI remember having to go to Nancy Boyle's birthday party in 5th grade and being upset because Dad was cooking Bluefish. What a delight to come home from the party to discover that some had been saved for me!
Watch out for the bones!
Ahh, blues. They're a heavenly reminder of the Bay, grilled or otherwise. Also great with capers and lemon.
ReplyDeleteGreat story CW. It triggered some of my old memories too. When Dad was stationed in San Diego, Mom struggled to feed three boys on 1960's era LTJG pay. We lived on a side street across Rosecrans from MCRD. You could hear the DI's screaming at the fresh recruits as they got off the gray buses. A Portugese tuna boat skipper, very patriotic, used to drop by whole tuna. We had a dinky fridge and hundred pound fish...I'm not sure how Mom worked that out, but we ate a lot of tuna cooked twenty ways to Sunday.
Thanks for the memory.
jts
I almost fed my first blue my right thumb when I tried to get the hook from his mouth. I never made that rookie fisherman mistake again. The only downsides to blues are: lots of lost tackle and you really need to eat them soon, just as you described, as they don't keep well, taking on a particularly fishy taste in short order. That said, I've had some exquisite smoked bluefish, which makes excellent salad topping, dips and spreads. Another trick for using up an especially good catch that a friend told me about (but I still have yet to try) is to cook all the fillets let them cool, flake the fillets in a large bowl and add 1/3 - 1/2 as much crabmeat. Mix in enough mayonnaise to bind and to distribute the crab evenly, sprinkle in some old bay seasoning and form into balls. Put balls on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once frozen, remove from pan and put into some more convenient storage. Since no self-respecting eastern shoreman would ever call something with filler a "crab cake" he calls them "crabby fish balls". Notwithstanding the appetizing name, he says they are quite good and nearly indistinguishable from 100% crabcakes.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of "Beach Music" - heads up, the author is releasing his first novel in 14 years right now...
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm the last of the old blue fish fisherman from the old Reggie's gang. We sure had a great deal of fun and merryment going down to Delaware Bay and hooking into some big old boys. CW I'm glad you remembered how to cook them fella's.
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