Baked bluefish with mustard and garlic*

We went out for bluefish today, and almost got skunked. We were coming back to the dock, empty-handed, and there was a big sailboat coming out of the water so we had to wait a bit. I saw a splash, cast into it, and reeled in a small (1 1/2 lb) blue.

Since we only had one, it wasn’t worth smoking. This is what I did with it.

Baked Bluefish with Mustard and Garlic

1 large clove garlic, minced or finely chopped
2 teaspoons grainy mustard
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
ground black pepper to taste
2 bluefish fillets

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the first four ingredients together in a bowl.

2. Put the fillets, skin side down, on a baking sheet or broiling pan (covered with aluminum foil, if you want to minimize mess), and smear with the mustard mixture. Bake until cooked through, which may be longer than you think. I had fillets that were no more than a half-inch thick, and they took 12 or 13 minutes. I’d go a full 20 for 1-inch fillets.

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