Bluefish

fishinRod

Ten Pointer
been at the coast fishing in the surf for a week now and when the blues come through its like a Chinese fore drill. (can i say that on here still?:D) After a lifetime of hearing peoples opinions on eating them...some say you cant, some say you can but you gotta do this that and the other, blah blah blah, I decided to give it a go. I kept and filleted two 20+ inchers, I bled them out, soaked them in salt water for a couple hours and fired up the charcoal grill. I got one of those foil pans and poked some holes in it (because the grate on the grill at this rental was not going to be stick free) and dropped some butter in to melt. I seasoned the fillets with my homemade blackened seasoning, squeezed on some lemon juice and laid them in the hot foil pan. I closed the lid and let them hang out for about 5 minutes then carefullt turned for 5 more. They were fantastic! I dont get where people are coming from when they say they are too fishy tasting. they tasted like fish...I like my fish to taste like fish. I do agree that dont freeze well so eat the same day or next.
 

23mako

Ten Pointer
Prob the same type of people who complain about "gamey" taste in wild game. Damn it ain't supposed to taste like boneless skinless chicken breast!
 

fishinRod

Ten Pointer
Where at the coast have you been? Im heading down to Hatteras tomorrow.
We’re at Topsail Island. Will be here another week and a half. Iv caught more flounder than ever. I guess that closed season is working it’s been a whole 4 weeks and I can already see the benefit?
 

Justin

Old Mossy Horns
Some people love tofu too....


they’re not bad but they gotta be fresh like you said. That or I’ve had them poached then made into cakes like crab cakes. Delish.
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
when I was stationed at McDill in Tampa I used to net mullet,,,smoked all of them,,,,good eats

but then I smoke trout (rainbow) too,,,,most any oily fish makes a great candidate for the smoker
 

C52

Eight Pointer
I’ve always been a bluefish fan. Always treated them like any other fish. No bleeding, no soaking. Usually fried, sometimes grilled. Usually filleted.
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Most of the dark meat fish are fine if they are filleted and the red line removed, then fried as fingers. I'm not big on baked fish so it's got to be a mild white fish that I can make taste like rosemary and lemon for me to like it.
 

GSOHunter

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I used to always throw them out because they "did not taste good". I kept one a few years ago. Filleted it seasoned it and threw it in the skillet. It was very tasty. I think some people wait a day or two and then try and eat it.
 

Part-time hunter

Ten Pointer
When I first started out salt water fishing a buddy told me blues weren't any good to eat and I believed him. We were at Surf City and caught a run of big blues in the surf early one morning. They were fun to catch and we were just throwing them on the beach behind us. I noticed several older folks just walking on the beach who stopped and asked if they could have them and they took all they could carry. Hmmm............if they're going to eat them they can't be that bad right? Now I live at the coast and blues are a big part of my diet, along with Spanish and whatever else bites do I don't have to freeze them since I can catch fresh whenever I want. I like them anyway you'd do any fish and we've tried them all. But don't tell anybody about this so when they catch them us "local" old folks can take any they don't want.
 

CBD21

Eight Pointer
Some people love tofu too....


they’re not bad but they gotta be fresh like you said. That or I’ve had them poached then made into cakes like crab cakes. Delish.
Agreed, fresh is best. And they do make good fish cakes. I’ve had them smoked as well and aren’t to bad but if I’m smoking them Spanish is my preference.
 

darkthirty

Old Mossy Horns
We caught a ton of’em last week at oak island. Some were nice!! I knew I wasn’t gonna be eating them fresh so that’s why we threw all of’em back. Ain’t no bugs with the ones I’ve ate. Truth be told, I’m yet to see any saltwater fish, shellfish or crustacean that I didn’t like. Lol
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I’ve tried mullet and blues on the same day a few years back. It wasn’t something I wanted much to do with.
 

BarSinister

Old Mossy Horns
I like them like said fresh but also only up to a certain size. Smaller and fresher the better. I've had them every way from fried to smoked and wouldn't think twice about eating them.
 

Scrub

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Key to fish like bluefish and mackerel is bleeding, filet off the skin, remove the bloodline and keep the filets dry. I only rinse my filets when ready to vacuum seal then I completely dry them.
 
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