The Fall Classic – Bluefish!

The St. Louis Cardinals have won the World Series, baseball’s fall classic is over and another fall classic is now at its finest- bluefish!

We write about these voracious savages quite a lot and already offer quite a few good recipes for them, but as I fillet these stiff, super fresh blues, some with squid, porgy and butterfish hanging out of their toothy jaws, I truly appreciate that one of our favorite fish are at their freshest, richest and tastiest right NOW! Freshest because they are plentiful off the New England coast and get to market fast, tastiest ‘cause they’re about to migrate out to warmer waters and have been really fattening up. You can see so much marbling on some of them that their bluish color looks several shades lighter. These fish are (along with north Atlantic fall swordfish) the fish of the moment!

Fresh-filleted bluefish (not pre cut in another state) has a taste with a good amount of flavor to it but at the same time a subtle sweetness. It’s a great fish to work with because of its ability to hold up to so many flavorful preparations. Sweet or spicy Asian recipes, mustard sauces, acidic tomato or caper-based sauces are just a few ideas for bluefish. Or, try our whole bluefish roasted in kosher salt. You can experiment and go wild, or simply bake, broil or grill with great results.

One of our favorite recipes is made with a sauce that we’ve been making and serving at the market for years- grenobloise. The “sauce of Grenoble” is a tangy lemon caper brown butter sauce. Our version uses olive oil although you could certainly use butter if you’d like. We use lemon zest, lemon juice, a touch of Parmesan reggiano and a little of the all time secret ingredient – anchovies. A delicious explosion of flavors with a lot going on. It will keep in the fridge for several weeks and it’s also great with any number of flavorful fish.