Breaking it Down – Baked Garlic & Paprika Bluefish
Eugene L. 12.26.23
So on my October trip down to Panama City Beach, I caught a mess of bluefish on the County Pier. While the original plan was to target king mackerel and Spanish mackerel, that didn’t pan out as I had planned. So to bolster some of the fish I was bringing home I decided to keep some of the bluefish instead of just giving them all away. Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) is a unique species being the only species in its family group. An active pelagic predator they are found all over the world in tropical and subtropical oceans. They can get up to 4 feet long and weigh 40 lbs, in the gulf they average maybe a couple feet long at best and a 10-pound fish is considered a trophy bluefish. Their mouths are full of razor-sharp teeth that make short work of anything they want to eat. Very aggressive feeders they make for a fun time when fishing with the right-sized tackle. When it comes to the table many people consider them too oily and fishy to be worth the effort, but when small they are good grilled fresh. The flesh is kinda greyish pink with a large bloodline and doesn’t freeze well. This is the first of three preparations of bluefish I did with all the bluefish I brought home. This is a bit fancier presentation of baked Garlic & Paprika Bluefish served with creamy grits and sauteed squashes.
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Ok now for breaking down the bluefish. For this recipe, we want skin-on fillets. I am starting with a bled and gutted bluefish. I already bled and gutted these fish on the pier right after they were caught. That way the meat is the best quality possible. So first thing to start here is to scale the fish. I used the back of my knife, but if you have a fish scaler use that instead. Just be thorough with getting all the scales, especially around the fins.
Once the fish is scaled, rinse everything off, fish, cutting board, and knife. to make sure all the scales are gone.
Now with the bluefish scaled and clean it’s time to start the filleting it. The first step is to take the head and collars off the fish. Take your knife up from the pelvic fins towards the pec fins, then on up to the top of the head. Once you cut on both sides like this, push up on the chin of the fish and pop the spine.
With the head off, start the fillet, and trace along the back or belly of the fish along the fins. Keep the knife at a flat angle to stay close to and trace the bones. Work in long smooth strokes of the knife till you reach the spine. Follow the spine’s contour and then start the other side.
I chose to cut through the ribs and take them off later, but you can just run the knife over them now and leave them on the frame, it’s up to your preference, Take both fillets off the frame and discard the head and frame.
To remove the rib cage, take the fillet knife pointing up and run it along the ribs at an angle. This will split them from the pin bones and fillet. Follow along the rib bones and then remove from the belly flap. Trim the fillet as you like after.
Now with the rib cage gone, run your knife along both sides of the pin bones. Cut the meat to the skin, making sure not to puncture through it though. You don’t want to cut through the skin for skin on recipes. Then pinch the piece of fillet between the knife and thumb to pull it off. Do this to both fillets which leaves you with two nice skin-on boneless fillets ready for cooking.
Breaking it Down – Baked Garlic & Paprika Bluefish
Baked Garlic & Paprika Bluefish Ingredients
- Smoked Paprika
- Garlic
- Olive Oil
- Lemon
- Salt
- Skin-On Bluefish Fillets
First, we need to do is prep the paprika and garlic paste that we’ll rub on the bluefish. Start by mincing 3 garlic cloves then mashing them into a paste using some coarse sea salt.
Add the salt and garlic paste into a bowl with 2 tsp smoked paprika and some nice olive oil. Add the zest of a lemon to the paste as well. Mix thoroughly.
Get your bluefish fillets and apply the paste to the meat side of the fillets.
Place the fillets in a baking pan skin side up. Sprinkle some sea salt onto the skin as well. Put the baking pan into a preheated oven at 400°F for around 10 minutes. Cook time varies depending on the thickness of the fillet.
While the fish is baking, prep your side of grits and squash. All you need for the grits is chicken stock, quick grits, and parmesan cheese. Boil it all together till it reaches a thick consistency. The squash is just fresh zucchini and summer squash sauteed in a hot pan and seasoned to taste.
For plating put some of the squash down first, then spoon some of the creamy grits next to it. Then place the baked bluefish fillet across the top. Serve with a lemon wedge. Hopefully, this will get, y’all try cooking more bluefish.
