![]() ![]() Among other things, bleeding allows the fish to cool more rapidly and makes its flesh less dark. Lift up the gill plate and cut, from front to rear, the gills in half with the point of a knife, then repeat this on the other side of the fish's head. Richard Lord of the Fulton Fish Market, a student of fish and fish quality, favors gill-cutting because it is easier to accomplish, less messy and results in more complete bleeding. You should realize, however, that the process of spoilage cannot be reversed. If you reach a certain spot at the end of a tide and are almost certain that the blues will stop hitting as soon as the water becomes slack, the limited time you have (unless you are extraordinarily disciplined) will be devoted to catching fish. ![]() The suggestions that follow for the treatment of bluefish after capture represent an ideal, but between the ideal and the reality lies the shadow of circumstance. This might involve nothing more than placing them in the shade under one's vehicle or placing a wet burlap bag over them. At the very least, whether in a boat or on the beach, one should contrive to keep fish protected from the sun. The current cycle of bluefish abundance makes such postcatch care, if one fishes for food as well as pleasure, of particular relevance.īluefish eaten within two or three hours of capture are usually first-rate, although if they were caught at noon on a searing day and exposed to the sun for 45 minutes, they would be in sorry shape. Many who have been put off by the flavor of a poorly cared-for blue would find the species to their liking if certain precautions were observed between the catch and the feast. ![]() Treated properly, the bluefish is excellent eating, with mild, flaky meat, although larger specimens (those over 10 pounds) tend to have a stronger flavor than their smaller brethren. McClane was thinking of this when he wrote in his ''Encyclopedia of Fish Cookery'' (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1977), that when dining out, he would ''never order bluefish except at seaside restaurants where freshness is guaranteed, assuming the proprietor is credible.'' A bluefish (even one consumed minutes after capture) does have a more assertive flavor than, for example, a summer flounder, but a strong fishy taste means that the fish has begun to deteriorate, and bluefish do not keep as well as many other species.Ī. Many people who eat saltwater fish with regularity favor white-fleshed species such as the flatfishes or cod. NO one denies that the rapacious, powerful bluefish is fun to catch, but there is sharp disagreement over its merit on the dining table. ![]()
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