Bluefish is an unappreciated fish – and that’s a shame. Grilled, it is one of New England’s culinary wonders. Since we are in the middle of a heat wave here in Boston, I decided to take advantage of the last few warm days and grill some bluefish. Don’t let unusual looking brown flesh put you off. When cooked, it turns appetizingly beige. So, why is it called “bluefish” if it starts out as brown and becomes beige? Because of its blue skin. It turns crispy and finger-licking good on the grill. Bluefish’s high fat content makes it one of the most forgiving fish to cook since it doesn’t dry out, and all those Omega-3 fatty acids are good for you. Are you convinced to stop ignoring it next time you are at the fish market? Here is the recipe.Serves 4
4 bluefish fillets with skin (6-8 oz each)
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil (plus more for brushing the grill)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp chopped parsley, cilantro, mint, or whatever herb you have on hand
- Preheat the grill to high.
- Season fish fillets with salt and pepper, and coat with 1 Tbsp of oil.
- Drizzle lemon juice over the plate where you’ll put fish once it’s off the grill.
- Pick up a wad of paper towel with tongs, dip it into oil, and brush the grill rack.
- Place the fish on the grill skin side down and cover the grill. Cook for 3 minutes without disturbing. Turn the grill down to medium. Flip fillets onto the flesh side, cover the grill, and cook for additional 3 minutes per inch of thickness.
- To test for doneness, insert a spatula under a thin edge of fillet and lift half of fillet perpendicular to the grill. If the flakes separate, the fish is done. Don’t worry if the fillet breaks. The skin will keep it together so it will still look nice when you serve it. Remove the fish off the grill keeping it skin side up to prevent it from getting soggy and place it on the prepared plate so that it can get flavored with lemon juice.
- Garnish with herbs and serve.
Cooking Technique: Grilling
5 comments:
grilled the blue on the bone following your directions.
added minced garlic, thyme, oregano and parsley to the olive oil and brushed on the salt & peppered fish.
cooked as you instructed and was very pleased with the outcome. thanks very much. this evening's dinner was delicious.
Just finished grilling some bluefish using your recipe as a template. This was my first time preparing this dish. Personally, I'm a meat and potatoes guy but cook for other people on a regular basis and as such seafood often graces my menus. "Excellent" was the response. Thank you for sharing.You madfe my first foray into the realm of bluefish a smashing success.
i love blue fish and am going to grill some 2nite. your site came up in my research and as a fish lover i am going to click around a bit b4 moving on. thank you for a nice recipe.
Yes, EXCEPT THOSE darker parts of the fish, which are easy to separate, are where pcbs and other chemicals tend to lurk. I avoid those parts of the fish.
Followed the original directions with fresh caught fish. Delicious!
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