Herb Stuffed Bluefish Recipes

BLUEFISH WITH HERB STUFFING

Steps:

• Heat grill. Season fish with salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add celery, fennel, shallots, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add mushrooms to skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes more. Stir in herbs and wine. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl, and stir in the bread cubes. Season with salt and pepper, and let cool.
• Lay first fillet, skin side up, on a clean work surface. Cover with half of the pancetta slices, and carefully flip over. Mound stuffing neatly on top of the fillet. Place second fillet on top, skin side up, and cover with remaining pancetta. Tie the stuffed fish securely with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. Replace any stuffing that falls out during the process, and make sure that all pancetta is kept in place by the twine.
• Grill stuffed fish over medium heat until pancetta is charred, 5 to 10 minutes per side, using two spatulas to carefully turn fish. Cover grill, and continue cooking fish until just done throughout (fish will be opaque), about 15 minutes more. Transfer to a serving platter. Serve warm with lemon wedges.

HERB-STUFFED WHOLE FISH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Place a large oven-safe saute pan or baking sheet on the lower rack of the oven to preheat.
• Season the belly cavity of the fish with salt and pepper. Place 2 or 3 lemon slices and a few sprigs each of thyme, oregano and parsley into the cavity of each fish. Really, just fill the cavities with all the lemon and herbs that will fit.
• Now for the fun part! Close the cavity of each fish by "sewing" a skewer through the skin: Hold the skin together, tucking in the herbs, and weave the skewer up and down through the skin to seal the cavity. The skewer stays in while the fish is cooking. Season the outside of the fish with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Divide the olive oil among the 4 fish and use your fingers to rub it on, coating them well on all sides.
• Carefully remove the preheated pan from the oven and gently place the fish in it. There should be a searing noise -- that means you're doing it right! Return the pan to the oven and roast the fish for 15 minutes.
• Remove the fish from the oven and let rest for 2 minutes. Carefully remove the skewers and place the fish (herbs and all) on large plates for serving. Since these are whole fish, be mindful of the bones as you eat, and advise your guests to be careful as well.

GRILL-ROASTED WHOLE FISH STUFFED WITH FRESH HERBS AND WRAPPED IN PANCETTA

Steps:

• Grilling Method: Indirect/Medium Heat
• Rinse fish and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper inside and out. Place fresh herbs inside cavity of fish. Lightly oil both sides of fish. Wrap seasoned, oiled fish with pancetta or bacon that is thinly sliced and unrolled. Wrap fish loosely, mummy-style, with the pancetta, leaving head and tail exposed.
• Place fish in center of cooking grate. Cook until opaque, but still moist in thickest part (10 to 15 minutes). Remove from grill.
• Place fish onto platter and serve immediately.

BAKED WHOLE FISH WITH LEMON, HERBS AND GARLIC BUTTER

Steps:

• If the fish hasn't been gutted and scaled, do so.
• Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Prepare a roasting tin.
• Mix the butter, 2 minced garlic cloves, chopped rosemary and chopped thyme very well. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Spoon the compound butter into the fish cavities. Stuff the inside of the fish with lemon triangles (you will probably not be able to fit all of them into your fishes) and rosemary sprigs. Drizzle the fish with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. You can slash the fish two to three times if you like.
• Place the fish in the prepared tin, along with the extra thyme, garlic and remaining lemon slices. Bake for 20-25 minutes (a large sea bream takes about 25 minutes, branzino is probably ready after 20).
• In the meantime, mix the chopped tomatoes, capers, olives and parsley. Add enough olive oil to create a nicely dispersed condiment. Serve with the hot fish.

GRILLED BLUEFISH

Steps:

• Clean and scale fish. Stuff abundant quantities of fresh herbs into the cavity, then add slices of lemon, and chopped garlic. Brush skin on both sides with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and if desired put into fish-grilling basket and clamp shut. Grill for approximately 6 minutes on each side, turning fish only once. Garnish with more fresh herbs and sliced lemon and serve. Roast potatoes and grilled summer vegetables go well with this dish. Tip: Bluefish caught early in the season, though smaller, are much less oily than those caught later in the summer.;

HERB-STUFFED BLUEFISH

Steps:

• Preheat grill or broiler to high. Season fish with salt and pepper. Cut half the lemon into thin slices, and stuff cavity with lemon slices and herbs. Coat outside of fish with oil.
• Place fish on grill or rimmed baking pan, and grill or broil until skin is charred and fish is firm to the touch, about 6 minutes. Flip fish, and grill or broil until just cooked through, about 6 minutes more.
• Let rest 3 minutes. Remove top fillet by sliding a spatula between flesh and backbone (flesh should easily release), then pull out backbone. Remove bottom fillet. Squeeze remaining lemon half over fish, and serve.

BROILED BLUEFISH WITH TOMATO AND HERBS

Steps:

• Preheat broiler. Line rack of a broiler pan with foil.
• Put fish skin sides down on foil and sprinkle with pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• Whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, dill, and chives in a small bowl. Spread evenly over fish, then cover with tomato slices, overlapping slightly, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• Broil fish 3 to 4 inches from heat until just cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.

BAKED STUFFED BLUEFISH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bluefish filet in an oven proof dish and sprinkle with salt and fresh pepper. Set aside. In a skillet heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, anchovy, oregano and red pepper flakes. Cook for 3 minutes. Add breadcrumbs, mix and let cook for another 3 minutes. Add capers, lemon juice and cook another 2 minutes. Turn off heat and mix in the cheese. Carefully spread the breadcrumb mixture over the bluefish filet and bake for about 30-35 minutes. Garnish with fresh squeezed lemon juice.

BAKED BLUEFISH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
• Trim all of the dark meat from the fillets. Rinse in cold water, dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine stuffing mix with boiling water and 1/2 cup melted butter.
• Cover a baking sheet with a lightly greased double thickness of aluminum foil. Spread stuffing mixture on top of foil. Place fillets on top of stuffing. Brush fillets with 2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with minced onions. Top with dill springs and crimp together edges of tin foil to seal.
• Bake on center self of preheated oven for 10 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and bake for an additional 60 minutes.

STUFFED BLUEFISH WITH SWEET AND SPICY MASALA

Steps:

• Remove the head and tail from the fish. Butterfly by slicing it down the entire length of the belly side. Open it up, and carefully remove the backbone, starting from the neck. Remove any remaining bones. Fold fish in half, skin-side out, and rub skin with a mixture of 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Marinate for 15 minutes.
• In a small skillet, heat ghee over medium heat; add cashews, and saute until golden. Remove to a plate. In the same skillet with remaining ghee, saute raisins until they swell and brown slightly. Add raisins to the plate with cashews, and set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat 1/3 cup oil, and fry onions until edges are nicely browned. Add garlic, ginger, and green chiles, and stir for 1 minute. Stir in coriander, remaining 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, cumin, remaining 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, garam masala, tomato, lime juice, cilantro, mint, remaining teaspoon salt, and sugar, and fry until onions are well browned and mixture is thick and pastelike, adding enough water to keep it moist. Remove from heat, and cool slightly.
• Open fish, and spread one-third of the onion mixture inside; fold it over to close. In the same skillet, push the remaining onion mixture to the sides of the pan. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and place fish in the middle. Cook, covered, on medium-low heat, until bottom of fish is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Carefully turn, and continue to cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes more. Remove from heat.
• Carefully transfer fish to a platter. Spread remaining sauce over fish. Sprinkle with cashews and raisins, and garnish with cilantro and mint; serve immediately.