# What's the best way to cook a chomper blue?



## skunk king (Mar 25, 2008)

Say the really big ones that get mushy. Will frying firm them up? How about salting them?


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## Rockfish1 (Apr 8, 2005)

brine and smoke'em...


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## skunk king (Mar 25, 2008)

just a salt brine?


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## perchnut (Feb 8, 2008)

so lemme think,,,my brine consists of water, molases, brownsugar, and enough salt to float an egg....a good 12hour soak at least, then a nice 12 hour cold smoke.....im gonna have to fire up the smoker this weekend.


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## sprtsracer (Apr 27, 2005)

Clean, scale, etc. Season to taste. Place on Cedar Plank and bake at 325 until done. Throw away fish and eat the plank!


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## basstardo (Jun 5, 2006)

sprtsracer said:


> Clean, scale, etc. Season to taste. Place on Cedar Plank and bake at 325 until done. Throw away fish and eat the plank!


Ding ding ding! We have a winner! 

Choppers = :--|

Taylor's = :beer:


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## Rockfish1 (Apr 8, 2005)

perchnut said:


> so lemme think,,,my brine consists of water, molases, brownsugar, and enough salt to float an egg....a good 12hour soak at least, then a nice 12 hour cold smoke.....im gonna have to fire up the smoker this weekend.


about what I do except substitute ground cayenne for the molasses...


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## skunk king (Mar 25, 2008)

perchnut said:


> so lemme think,,,my brine consists of water, molases, brownsugar, and enough salt to float an egg....a good 12hour soak at least, then a nice 12 hour cold smoke.....im gonna have to fire up the smoker this weekend.



That's what I did last time and they were mostly horrible. A couple were ok. I may need not have blooded them enough when caught. I'll gut them on the spot next time.


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## AbuMike (Sep 3, 2007)

skunk king said:


> Say the really big ones that get mushy. Will frying firm them up? How about salting them?


Boil it and make Crab Cakes


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## Shooter (Nov 14, 2004)

Man I almost hate to post, yall need to find a woman that was raised up on the water.

The mean, ol, evil woman I married *ok so those that know her know she is to good for me* knows how to cook them blues.

I think she starts by baking them in a pan with a raised center for a few then drains the fishy oil then puts them in a pan and bakes them with taters, onions, carrots, water and covered in bacon.

Now I aint sayn that you will not taste fish but lets see YUP it's a fish, but always make sure to bleed them good and gut them quick.


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## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

Shooter said:


> Man I almost hate to post, yall need to find a woman that was raised up on the water.
> 
> The mean, ol, evil woman I married *ok so those that know her know she is to good for me* knows how to cook them blues.
> 
> ...


Dude, ya cover a dog turd in bacon and it will taste good...


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## Shooter (Nov 14, 2004)

Cdog said:


> Dude, ya cover a dog turd in bacon and it will taste good...


I will make sure to let the wife know about her cooking


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## Newsjeff (Jul 22, 2004)

Shooter said:


> I will make sure to let the wife know about her cooking


I hope yer better half goes easier on him that Dr. Bubba's wife did.

She bashed Dog's head with a rolled up newspaper. 

By the way, Shooter, who caught those choppers for you?


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## Shooter (Nov 14, 2004)

She did of course


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## kenyee (Nov 27, 2007)

This recipe is awesome...just haven't had luck catching a bluefish this year yet 
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/BROILED-BLUEFISH-WITH-TOMATO-AND-HERBS-235462

Just make sure it's bled and iced and you cook it the same day.


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## sand flea (Oct 24, 1999)

*Smoked bluefish recipe*

Buy a Cameron Smoker (they work on the stovetop) and make a brine.

2 qts water
3/4 C kosher salt
3/4 C sugar
1/4 C soy sauce
2 bay leaves
Lemon zest

Mix this all up in a plastic or glass containter, then drop in your filets.

Put something heavy on top, or just push the filets down and put Saran wrap on top. Stick the whole thing in the fridge for at least 3 hours, or as long as overnight.

Pull the fish out, lay them on the rack (skin down) and let them dry in the fridge. You're aiming to get a "pellicle," or dry skin, on the meat. This usually takes several hours.

Slap them in the smoker on medium-low heat for at least and hour. The bottom will be filled with oil. Voila, fish bacon  You'll never diss bluefish again, especially the big oily ones over 5 pounds.


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## fin&scale (May 7, 2008)

Blues taste good to me grilled. Bleed them immediately and ice down properly and they make fine tablefare. Most people ruin it well before any "cooking" starts to happen by not caring properly for their catch. I don't do anything fancy just begin with a olive oil rub then salt, pepper, garlic powder and parsley flakes...a small dash of cayenne for color and spice and throw them on the grill for a few minutes on each side. If that doesn't sound good to you you can go with a classic bluefish recipe like:

*Fillets Of Bluefish ala General Patton*
Yield: 2 Serving

Ingredients

4 bluefish fillet, 4 oz
1 pt wine, dry chablis
1 c shallots; finely chopped
1/2 c parsley; finely chopped
1/2 pt heavy cream
1 tb lemon juice
2 egg yolks; beaten
1 salt & white pepper

Instructions

Place fillets in a buttered baking dish, sprinkle with shallots and
parsley. Pour on the wine, dust with salt and pepper and bring to a
boil. Cover the dish with oiled, waxed paper (or foil) and place in
preheated 350 degree oven. Cook for 15 minutes. Now drain the juice
from the baking dish into a saucepan, add the cream, the lemon juice,
the beaten egg yolks and continue to stir this over the flame until
it has reduced to thick consistency. Pour this over the fillets,
which you have kept hot in a baking dish, and serve very hot.


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## fin&scale (May 7, 2008)

the following is a link to about 20 bluefish recipes....all of them sound pretty good to me...enjoy

http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Bluefish "crab" cakes


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## Rob S (Feb 7, 2008)

We ate 6 and 7# and then a 10 and 4.5# and it was pretty good. Bled em immediately and it was pretty damn good. We fried them.


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## wolfva (Nov 17, 2006)

Ya'll use the whole fillet? With blues I always cut off the dark meat and give it to my dog, then slap on a cajun rub and fry the white meat up. I'm gonna have to try the brine next time.


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## Lipyourown (May 11, 2005)

I love the taste of fish therefore I love bluefish of all sizes. Sure the little ones taste a bit sweeter and are not as oily but both grill and fry very well. May I suggest Pizza Hut for those who don't like the taste of fish?


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## Singletjeff (Mar 27, 2005)

Fillet, leave skin on, cut into strips and use as cut bait


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## old linesides (Oct 6, 2006)

Here is a very easy fix for snapper size : mix half cup lemon juice with half cup Grey Poupon and a quarter cup of clover honey . Coat the fillets and roll in Italian Bread crumbs . Put in a greased baking pan and bake at 350 til flaky and brown . Like everyone else said , I like to smoke the bigger fish but if they are bled immediately after landing and iced down I will gut them and bake them whole or put them on the grill . Stuff the cavity with plenty of fresh lemon slices , tomatos , lots of fresh herbs such as dill , fennel , oregano , basil etc. A can of strained stewed tomatos is always good . Then wrap that puppy up and seal it in heavy duty aluminum foil and put in in the oven or on a covered grill . A 10 pounder should be perfect if you let it go for an hour or so . The fish falls apart and you have easy access to the good meat and the bones pull right away . Also , don't forget the tasty cheeks from a large blue . When I cut fish at the dock as a youngster , I would always save the cheeks for myself . Very nice piece of meat , not unlike a scallop .


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## Rob S (Feb 7, 2008)

wolfva said:


> Ya'll use the whole fillet? With blues I always cut off the dark meat and give it to my dog, then slap on a cajun rub and fry the white meat up. I'm gonna have to try the brine next time.


Ditto.


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## old linesides (Oct 6, 2006)

sand flea said:


> Buy a Cameron Smoker (they work on the stovetop) and make a brine.
> 
> 2 qts water
> 3/4 C kosher salt
> ...


 I use the same basic brine but use dark brown sugar . I think it gives it a little bit better flavor . I also make up a " Glaze " that I baste on the fillets the last 1/2 hour before done . Glaze : 1 healthy squirt of Siracha , 1 tblsp of honey , tons of freshly cracked black pepper , juice from 1/2 lemon , 2 tblsp of your favorite BBQ sauce . Then you have an epicurian delight ! Try breaking and mashing some up and mixing it with soft cream cheese and spreading it on a fresh onion bagel . Yum !


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## TreednNC (Jul 1, 2005)

Ask Kenny akak drumdum's wife Mrs Jody. She can whup up some fish cakes that will make u smack ur mama


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## landingcrew (Jun 17, 2008)

as long as you treat them like there tuna that are gonna be used for sashimi then you will be pleasently surprised.


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