I'm not sure if I'm alone on this subject, but when the blues start to show up, my mind starts to scramble about all the ways I can cook it, so as not to taste the strong flavor and oiliness of blues.
When prepared correctly, bluefish can make for a really delicious and nutritious meal, and today I have a Mediterranean-inspired recipe to share that'll knock your socks off.
This bluefish recipe combines so many different flavors that you may start to question my thought process, but I promise you, this is definitely one recipe you'll keep making over and over.
How To Take Some Of The "Fishiness"
Out Of Bluefish
Smaller bluefish like the 24 incher above are perfect for eating. Larger bluefish are still delicious, but their meat will probably have a fishier taste.
When people think of bluefish, they sometimes think of the strong and oily taste which is often associated with blues. One thing I have learned about bluefish is that the smaller the fish, the lighter the flavor.
If you happen to catch a larger blue, then that's great! However, with larger bluefish you might find yourself with a more intense fishy flavor.
In this caramelized bluefish recipe from a few years ago, I marinated the bluefish in blush wine vinaigrette for 30 minutes, then took the fish and put it under the broiler to lightly caramelize the fillet.
This process removed a lot of the "fishiness" from the bluefish. It worked beautifully, so I decided to take it one step further...
Caramelized Bluefish + Mediterranean Sauce
For this recipe, we are going to add a delicious Mediterranean-inspired sauce that goes really well with the caramelized bluefish.
The Mediterranean-inspired sauce is made with these simple ingredients:
The flavors of the sauce really come together beautifully. I like to have the sauce simmering slowly while the bluefish is marinating in the fish in the blush wine vinaigrette. Then give the bluefish a quick broil to caramelize the fillet before pouring the sauce over the fish.
If you are good at multi-tasking, this dish could be faster, but it's more realistic to plan for at least one hour. Just remember to not let the fish marinate in the blush wine vinaigrette any longer than 30 minutes, otherwise you won't taste the fish at all - just the vinegar.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as Ryan and I did!
- 1 pound bluefish filets - the smaller the bluefish, the better it will taste
- 4 C blush wine vinaigrette (or enough to fully immerse the filets)
- 1/3 C olive oil
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
- 10 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp all-natural sweet Spanish paprika
- 2 tsp organic ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 1/2 tbsp capers
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 TBS butter
- grated parmesan cheese
- Fresh parsley or mint for garnish
- Marinate the fish: In a deep dish, put the fish in and then pour enough blush wine vinaigrette over to fully immerse the fish. Let the fish sit and marinate for 30 minutes.
- While the fish marinates, prepare the tomato sauce. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering.
- Add onions, cook until it begins to turn gold in color, tossing regularly. Add tomatoes, garlic, spices, pinch of salt (not too much) and pepper, capers, and raisins. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to medium-low and let simmer for 15 minutes or so.
- Once fish has marinated, remove the fish from the vinegar and discard the vinegar. Set the broiler to high and make sure the rack is in the middle of the oven. Broil the fish for about 5 minutes, or until the fish is almost all the way cooked through. Remove the fish from the oven.
- In a large saute pan, heat the butter over medium-high. Once melted, place fish down into the pan and season with a little salt, pepper and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Let the fish simmer for about 2-3 minutes each side, repeating the salt, pepper and cheese on the other side.
- Pour lemon juice into the sauce, stir and taste for more salt if needed. Pour the sauce over the fish into the saute pan, letting it come to a simmer and allowing the flavors to come together (about 5 minutes).
- Serve immediately with extra sauce spooned over the top of the fish.
In Conclusion
The strong flavor and oiliness of its' meat often gives bluefish a bad rap. However, when prepared correctly, bluefish offers a unique taste unlike most of the fish found off the Cape's coast.
I hope you will give this Mediterranean-inspired recipe a try. I think you'll be delightfully surprised at how delicious your bluefish will be.
As always, if you have any bluefish recipes of your own that you'd like to share, then please let me know by leaving a comment below.
Happy Cooking! 🍽
Outstanding recipe! My son came home with a 25” Blue and I had very little idea what to do with it. I paired it with sides of steamed asparagus and caciao e Pepe pasta. The vinegar marinade is key. Thank you!
Hi Lauren – we finalized dinner plans with some friends, after having completed our shopping. Because one of our friends is it vegetarian, I hadn’t planned in the shopping for her, I said to Tom that I wish I had some fish. He quickly reminded me that she likes blue fish and he would catch one. As it turns out, I caught the blue fish, and decided to try this recipe. I also had chicken cutlets, and the sauce worked beautifully with both the chicken and the fish. Thanks so much for this recipe. I will definitely be making it again.
Thanks so much Jane! I’m glad the sauce worked well for both dishes – it’s a very versatile sauce, I should put it on my menu soon to make it again, it’s delicious!
Sounds delicious! Hope I get the chance to try it when I come over in Sept 😉
I hope you do too!
Hey Lauren,
Your recipes are always amazing! Thanks for sharing.
This MFCC blog post from a few years back contains additional information about caring for your catch of bluefish while still on the boat and immediately afterwards.
myfishingcapecod.com/?s=bluefish+can+taste+delicious
This recipe from Creatively Delish is a great accompaniment for any fish dish!
creativelydelish.com/sesame-soba-noodle-salad/
Thank you Dex!!
Lauren, thanks for the recipe and hopefully the bluefish will show up soon. One thing most fisherman know is to bleed the bluefish and put them on ice, as soon as they are landed. I am definitely going to try marinating in red wine vinegar.
Yes the vinegar will take a lot of the fishiness and oiliness out, so I definitely recommend that. Hopefully the bluefish show up soon so I can make this again! It’s even been hard to find it in the shops lately too.
Sounds delicious! I like bluefish! Will definitely try the recipe if I catch one!
Thanks Leslie! LMK if you end up making it 🙂