# Preparing Bluefish?



## carolina1234

Ive tried eating Bluefish years ago and I remember it being very over the top fishy tasting. Does anyone have any tips for preparing Bluefish before cooking? Ive heard soaking the fillets in milk will help.......and draining the blood immediately after catching. I havent tried any of these techniques. 

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

T


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## DennyR

Bleeding helps. Also, when you filet them, use your knife to cut out most of the dark red meat. That's the oily, fishy part. Personally I like the smaller snapper size--I think they make very good fare. The tailors and choppers are to big and tough and may have parasites. The young ones up to about 20" or so are pretty nice. And of course fresh counts, although I vacuum packed and froze some last fall and they were still fine in February. Just remember to cut out that dark oily meat 

If I plan to fry them in batter, I soak them in buttermilk for a half hour or so. If I plan to broil or bake them (unbreaded or battered) then soaking them in a mix of about 3 parts cheap bottled lemon juice and 1 part olive oil for a half hour works great.


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## surffshr

Keep them or any fish on ice prior to cleaning. If they get warm tha will ruin taste.


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## speckhunter80

Fillet them as soon as possible and after removing the skin cut the red meat out. Cook fresh, don't freeze.


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## surfchunker

cut 'em up for bait


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## KB Spot Chaser

Bleed em, put em on ice until cold, clean em, make cakes or salad out of em, and eat em right away. Been years sinceI had one, but I guess if I got hungry enough I might try one again. That's the way Dad did it and they were pretty good.


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## ja2808

what everyone else says, but with extra lemon! Oh, and dont over cook.


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## Drumdum

Fresh is key,as well as cutting out red meat as everyone has said... Have eaten them about anyway you can cook them,jmho,as good or better than Spainish...


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## TomW

We like them cooked on a charcoal grill with some wood chips, hickory or mesquite. We let them soak in italian dressing about a half hour before cooking. I put the fillets on the grill skin side down and the skin will loosen and also help keep the meat from burning. Like above, remove the red meat and don't over cook.


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## solid7

TomW said:


> We like them cooked on a charcoal grill with some wood chips, hickory or mesquite. We let them soak in italian dressing about a half hour before cooking. I put the fillets on the grill skin side down and the skin will loosen and also help keep the meat from burning. Like above, remove the red meat and don't over cook.


Just out of curiosity... How do you manage to remove the red parts if you are cooking them skin side down? The red meat is between the good meat and the skin.

Seems to me that if you've already cooked it with the dark meat in place, you may as well just leave it. (cause the flavor tends to permeate)


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## drumchaser

bleed um then drop um in the ole crisco pond, fresh always helps. cold beer with um doesnt hurt.


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## TomW

To answer Solid7, when cooking skin side down we remove the dark meat after cooking. It seems to remove most of the strong taste.


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## greg12345

the best taste you can get from bluefish is to cut strips and use them to catch flounder


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## solid7

greg12345 said:


> the best taste you can get from bluefish is to cut strips and use them to catch flounder


Roger that...


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## tjbjornsen

greg12345 said:


> the best taste you can get from bluefish is to cut strips and use them to catch flounder


Now that is just plain cold...

If you are a fan of smoked fish, bluefish is a fine option.

For folks who don't like the fishy thing, the soaking in milk option is spot on. 
Turned the wife into a fan doing it that way this year.


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## Carolina Rebel

Bluefish is great! Slice the thin strip at the bottom of the gills as soon as you catch it, get it on ice quickly, clean it while it's still cold (this applies to any fish), and avoid the dark meat. My wife doesn't like fish a whole lot, but if we eat it bluefish is one of her favorites. We always end up with smaller ones, so I'll season them up with lemon juice, lemon pepper, sea salt, and either cook in the skillet skin side down until finished or bake it in the oven.


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## jay b

Bleed them as soon as you catch them. Straight into the cooler on ice and stay on ice until you clean them. Fillet and skin them removing the dark meat on the skin side. Now you've got a nice clean fillet.

Fried I like to cut them into small pieces like nuggets or strips and use tampura batter to help "sweeten" the meat.

Grilled I double aluminum foil and turn up all 4 edges to make a "pan". Cover the bottom with alternating rows of thin cut lemon and onions. Lay the fillet on top of that. Sprinkle a little Old Bay on top and baste every few minutes with lemon butter, wood chips in a charcoal grill is best for added flavor.

Smoked is great too and I use the meat to make a fish dip with a little Old Bay, diced onions and cream cheese, leave in fridge over night before consuming to help blend the flavors.

Or they they do brine well to freeze and use later for Flounder baits cut into strips, especailly the white belly meat that you usually don't/can't eat anyway because of the bones in it.


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## Fishbreath

I like the smaller bluefish and I've prepped them just about every which way possible. Just cooked up a mess 'o them recently. Keep on ice and then clean them as mentioned. Give them a lemon-pepper panko hot oil bath with a beer....mmmmm good!


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## dena

tjbjornsen said:


> Now that is just plain cold...
> 
> If you are a fan of smoked fish, bluefish is a fine option.
> 
> For folks who don't like the fishy thing, the soaking in milk option is spot on.
> Turned the wife into a fan doing it that way this year.


You stole my thunder.
Smoked Big Blue fish is the way to go.
The smaller ones, up to 20 inches or so, fillet, and clean out the red meat like everyone else says.
But for 2 footers and bigger, dehead and tail, cut the fins off and get the guts out and scale.
Place on the smoker around 200 or so degrees and let er smoke till the flesh is flaky.
Do this at a party, and all that will be left is the bones.


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## carolina1234

Awesome info...thanks!!!! I normally toss those things back, or use for bait. This year I hope that I catch enough fish to have to make such a decision. Looks like the key is to drain the blood, trim the meat and place on ice immediately. I soak kingfish in Italian dressing for several hours before cooking and its amazing, so ill definitely do that one.

Headed down tomorrow for the week. Ill have internet and will post our results daily for anybody that might be interested. 

Thanks again for the replies!!


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## SmoothLures

I bleed em unless they're biting fast and furious, then cut boneless fillets and then cut the blood line out. You'll wind up with 4 long fillets per fish. Eat em ASAP and try not to freeze if you don't have to and they'll be fine.


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## Suds

For chopper blues, 8 lbs and above, bleed them when you catch them, ice them quickly and fillet them as soon as possible. All fish with a high fat content spoil quickly. Split the fillets lengthwise along the lateral line, that's where the blood line is, I trim 1/8th" to 1/4" off of either side of the lateral line, then cut downward diagonally and remove all the red meat. I also take the skin off and remove all of the red meat under the skin. Fillets prepared this way then smoked are awesome. I usually smoke them at 225 to 250 degrees for 2 hours on a cookie sheet covered in aluminum foil. Before and during the smoking process I baste the fillets with a combination of spices in olive oil. It adds flavor and keeps them from drying out. The natural oils in bluefish absorb and retain the smoke flavor, making blues one of the best fish in the smoke. Hope this helps.


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## HStew

If you have the time, brine your bluefish or smacks before smoking. It is then necessary to air dry them in the shade till it gets a shiny look (there is a name for this which I can't remember now). "cold " smoke for eight hours ( hickory is a good choice of wood) in your smokehouse. If your "other" hasn't made you build one in the backyard do so or make one out of an old fridge.If your other won't let you do either, talk to your lawyer first thing in the morning. COLD smoking they last longer and taste better.
Another option is to head and split down the back(butterfly) and remove guts, leaving scales on put over charcoal .eat side down and grill till golden, flip and grill on scale side. Put cider vinegar and butter on the meat side as it is grilling on the scale side. When they are done the meat will easily separate from the skin and scales.


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## fishin757

filet, cut into strips for for bait to catch big flounder. thats when they taste the best


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## drumchaser

Freshly fried or baked is still hard to beat or grilled. Keyword: fresh.


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## Rick

If you like tuna or salmon shashimi, you will love fresh bluefish. Try it, you will be impressed. I always eat the first few bues of a surf trip raw.


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## lsdmt

Bleed them, scale them, gut them. Wrap the whole thing in tin foil, add olive oil, salt, pepper and tarragon. Then throw them on a grill or in the campfire and let cook for five minutes a side or so depending on size.

They are not good the next day, eat them fresh as has been said.


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## solid7

I do like the sushi idea. Will give that a try. However, I have to say, I traded a 2lb. bluefish for a 5lb flounder on Friday afternoon... Best fish trade I've made in a long time.

Salted bluefish strips = flounder candy.


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## JAM

*SAVICHI (Sp)*

Filet thin, put in some roses lime juice cover and let the acid from the Lime Juice Cook the fish for about 20 min.. Mix in some salantro (SP) peppers and I like corn in mine.. A little salsa and on the Cracker it goes, or In the Cracker it goes either way, awesome.. K-Mac turned me onto it a few years back, he even has the recipe in his cookbook.. 

JAM


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## drumchaser

Sounds pretty good Jam.


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## WNCRick

I've turned em into "fish cakes" after soaking in milk, then poaching in lemon water, then pulling apart and making cakes......really reduces the flavor into something edible according to my pallet.

Just me
Rick


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## MSRIEF

Carolina 1234, do you eat canned tuna fish?, because if you do the canned tuna is much stronger than any bluefish.


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## exmedic_800

just tried this, had some that were frozen in sept. thawed soaked in Mt. Dew for appox 3 hr, house of autry seafood batter, deep fried = great. Wife likes nothing that taste "fishy" loved these nuggetts.


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## Samblam

exmedic_800 said:


> just tried this, had some that were frozen in sept. thawed soaked in Mt. Dew for appox 3 hr, house of autry seafood batter, deep fried = great. Wife likes nothing that taste "fishy" loved these nuggetts.


soaked in mtn. dew... What?!?!?!?! Dude you gotta be playin.


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## mahimarauder

Fresh is definitely the key! Fillet and deep fried is best. I have tried them baked, using a seasoning mix called "Baja Citrus" and thats pretty good.


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## ncsharkman

Take the fresh, live blue and carefully put him on a live bait rig putting the live bait hook in his dorsal area and 2 or more small treble hooks in his second dorsal/tail area. Hook up this rig to your standup fighting rod and after hooking it to your release clip slide it down your anchor line and ajust it as needed with the blue swimming freely in the water. Preset your drag and put your reel in freespool with the "clicker" on. Wait until you hook and catch a cobia/king/ nice blacktip etc...then eat the fish you caught with a cold beer!
This is the "best" way by far for prepping and useing a blue!


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## mahimarauder

Agreed Sharkman!

Im a fan of sendin those chompers on a 400 yard balloon ride out over the bar!


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## dudeondacouch

Rick said:


> If you like tuna or salmon shashimi, you will love fresh bluefish. Try it, you will be impressed. I always eat the first few bues of a surf trip raw.


I agree with this. Fresh bluefish sashimi with a little soy is a great beach snack.


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## NTKG

lol, people are a trip. I don't like my fish to tast like fish. Can you please make my fish taste like chicken?!?!


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## solid7

NTKG said:


> lol, people are a trip. I don't like my fish to tast like fish. Can you please make my fish taste like chicken?!?!


That's what puffers are for...

I love me some fishy fish, but I'd rather eat a spanish mackerel. Bluefish are great for fishcakes, though. (even the kids like 'em)


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## surfchunker

eat all those Blues you want and I'll eat my Mullet and wear one too


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## NTKG

solid7 said:


> That's what puffers are for...
> 
> I love me some fishy fish, but I'd rather eat a spanish mackerel. Bluefish are great for fishcakes, though. (even the kids like 'em)


I never got that, in relation to fishiness, I think spaniards are a bit fishy myself, moreso than the BOOOOfish. Puffers, we can agree on that one.


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## solid7

NTKG said:


> I never got that, in relation to fishiness, I think spaniards are a bit fishy myself, moreso than the BOOOOfish. Puffers, we can agree on that one.


You've misunderstood - we aren't disagreeing, at all.

Spanish Mackerel are more fishy than bluefish. And yet I like them better. I like fishy fish, and prefer the fishy mack to the fishy blue... I'll eat either one, cause after spending so much money on gear, I need an ROI in a very big way.

I second your motion, however. If you want chicken, buy a chicken. (chicken catching gear is much cheaper, anyway) If you want fish, don't turn your nose up at anything that your palate can handle.

I'll eat stuff that most guys would call bait - and I'm not the least bit ashamed of it, neither.


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## ncsharkman

I think Chicken tastes like "Puffer"!!!


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## duneyeti

I bought into the idea that blues weren't good to eat when I first started surf fishing, threw them back every time. Kinda the green eggs and ham thing. Keys for me like most people have said, they have to be fresh - as in eat them the day you catch them. Also, cut out the blood line...


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