Comments on: Smokin’

By: Ken

Ken — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:53:12 +0000

Nothing wrong with bluefish that garlic and lemon can’t take care of. Pan-fried in cast iron so it crisps up, served with a good salad… it’s my second-favorite fish (after fried tilapia for fish tacos).

By: Jane

Jane — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:48:31 +0000

Hi Tamar,

Don and I love the taste of fresh bluefish. We just pat it dry, spread on a topcoat of mayo and soy mixture, and grill it . Supposedly the soy/mayo takes away the oily taste. Don and I think it just enhances the deal. Never had smoked bluefish but our neighbor has a smoker and he likes it that way too! My feeling is if you get it fresh, eat it fresh…that’s where the flavor it!

By: Beth

Beth — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 04:18:08 +0000

Another thought about pellicles et al… somewhere in my circa 1971 reference the Home Book of Smoke Cooking by Sleight and Hull (where you can find a brine for octopus and inky squid) there was a mention of the pellicle which indicated that if the fish were not left to dry and form the pellicle, they would form that coating in your smoker, basically using up your BTUs while the pellicle formed. In other words, keep an eye on your fire in the smoker as the hours wear on, and be aware that fish not left to dry beforehand may take an hour or two longer to correctly smoke.
If you want to make fish jerky – or fish that can be stored away in your backpack dry and without ice packs to keep you alive through weeklong treks or survivalist months, I recommend Sleight and Hull’s tome, which includes plans for building a backyard cold smoker. Apparently cold smoking takes days and weeks, not hours, as if the day-long hot smoke didn’t stress you out enough…

By: Jen Montero

Jen Montero — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:58:38 +0000

Oh man…bluefish…does that bring back some memories. Put me off eating fish til I was an adult.I used to choke down fillets cooked over the BBQ and just pray that we wouldn’t catch any next time.

I would think any recipes that use mackerel would be good for bluefish. Very similar – strong tasting and oily.

We have a fish smokers just down the road called Bridfish. There website is : http://www.bridfish.co.uk
They might know from experience about the pellicle (they do hot and cold smoking). I’ll ask next time I’m in there too.

By: Tamar

Tamar — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 17:53:56 +0000

Beth — I think you’re absolutely right about the brining time. That and the salt were the two variables I was going to experiment with. Next time, I’ll reduce both.

I’d read Jay Harlow — he seems to be the world’s leading expert on pellicles — but I won’t believe it until I test it for myself. I think I’m going to smoke a few non-pellicled fish in the next batch, and try them side by side, blind. THEN we’ll see who’s the world’s leading expert!

Rick — Now THERE’s a recipe.

By: Rick Bibeault

Rick Bibeault — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 04:14:03 +0000

Here’s my recipe:

Let the Tuna eat the Bluefish

Let friend catch Tuna

Let friend bring me Tuna steak

Grill Tuna steak to rare

Yum!

By: Beth

Beth — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 02:32:56 +0000

Tamar, I don’t think it’s the brine that’s giving you the super-salty flavor, but rather the length of soaking time. I used to let them sit in the brine 12 hours or more, usually a full day, then put them on racks to dry overnight before a five or six hour smoke. I have gradually decreased brining time to about six hours.
I have always understood that the pellicle forms a seal that prevents the fish from getting dry and hard. I don’t know who Jay Harlow is, but he has a few things to say about the matter here: http://www.3men.com/allabout.htm
No scientific analysis, but interesting.

Here is the brine I use:
4 qts water
1 ½ C kosher salt
1 ½ C sugar
1/4 C soy sauce
2 bay leaves
zest of 1 lemon
2 sprigs fresh dill, chopped (optional)
Dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 quarts of the water, hot. Then mix in the rest of the water, cold, and the other ingredients. Put the brine outside if the weather is cold to allow it to chill before adding it to the fish. If smoking in warm weather, put the brine in a cooler of ice to chill, or refrigerate overnight.
Place fillets skin side up in pans and divide brine among them. Give the fish at least 6 hours, but not more than 12 hours, to brine.
Tight lines!