Tomato Bluefish Pasta Recipes

BROILED BLUEFISH WITH TOMATO, OLIVE, AND CAPER COMPOTE

Steps:

• Make the compote. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno, and celery, season with pepper, and cook, stirring, until soft and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, olives, and capers and cook, stirring, until hot, about 2 minutes more.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Set aside covered with foil to keep warm.
• Place a rack 5 inches from the broiler element and preheat.
• Prepare the fish. Using a sharp knife, slash the bluefish skin to form cross-hatch marks. Transfer the fillets to a foil-lined baking sheet and brush all over with the oil. Season with salt and generously with pepper. Broil the fish skin-side down, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. (If the skin comes loose during cooking, you may remove and discard it.)
• Using a metal spatula, transfer the fillets to 4 warmed plates and top with the compote. Serve immediately.

TOMATO-BLUEFISH PASTA

Steps:

• On the stove, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
• Trim fennel by removing the feathery tops. Chop tops finely and reserve. Cut fennel bulb in half through the core. Slice each half through the core into 4 wedges.
• In a glass or ceramic oval dish (11 by 9 by 2 inches), stir fennel, olive oil, onion and garlic until vegetables are coated with oil. Push vegetables to the sides of the dish, leaving the center empty. Cook, uncovered, at 100 percent for 4 minutes.
• Add the spaghetti to the boiling water.
• Pour tomatoes into the center of the dish of vegetables. Sprinkle reserved fennel tops and capers over tomatoes. Sprinkle a small amount of black pepper on top. Cover tightly with microwave plastic wrap. Cook at 100 percent for 5 minutes.
• Carefully uncover the dish. Arrange fish fillets spoke-fashion over tomatoes and vegetables. Cover tightly with microwave plastic wrap. Cook at 100 percent for 5 minutes.
• When pasta is cooked, remove 1/2 cup of the cooking water and pour it into a large bowl. Drain the pasta and add it to the bowl. Gently set the fish fillets on top of the pasta, arranging them around the sides of the bowl. Place vegetables in the center.
• Taste the tomato sauce and season with lemon juice and salt, if desired. Pour sauce over all. Work a small wooden spoon down into the spaghetti in several places so some of the tomato sauce trickles down. Serve immediately.

SMOKED-BLUEFISH PATE WITH ROASTED TOMATOES ON CRACKERS

Steps:

• Puree bluefish, cream cheese, and butter in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl, and stir in lemon juice, horseradish, mustard, cayenne, and shallots. Season with salt and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Oil a rimmed baking sheet. Toss tomatoes, salt, pepper, garlic, and thyme, and arrange tomatoes cut sides down on baking sheet. Bake until shriveled and starting to brown, about 1 1/4 hours. Let cool completely. Transfer tomatoes and juices to a serving dish.
• To serve, spread pate on crackers, top with a roasted tomato half, and drizzle with juices.

SEAFOOD PASTA WITH TOMATO AND CRUSHED OLIVES

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. Once it reaches al dente, drain and set aside while you finish the sauce.
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is lightly browned and toasted around the edges, about 2 minutes. Add red-pepper flakes, if using.
• Add tomatoes and then fill the empty can about 3/4 of the way up with water. Swirl the can to loosen the tomatoey bits left behind and add that to the pot. Season with salt, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened slightly (it should still look quite brothy), 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add the mussels or clams to the sauce, if using, along with the fish, and season again with salt. Let the seafood settle into the brothy tomato sauce and gently swirl the pot, encouraging the seafood to cook evenly. Cook a minute or two, then add the shrimp, swirling the skillet again. Cook until all the seafood is just cooked through and the mussels or clams have opened, another 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the pasta and very gently toss to coat, cooking another 1 to 2 minutes, just to let the flavors meld. Add olives and remove from heat.
• Divide among bowls, top with parsley and drizzle with olive oil before serving.

FRESH TOMATO PASTA

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat.
• Coarsely chop the tomato and transfer to a small bowl. Sprinkle the tomato chunks with basil, olive oil, and salt. Set aside.
• Once the water is boiling, stir in the rigatoni, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain well in a colander, and then return the pasta to the pot.
• Pour the tomato mixture over the pasta and toss to mix.

SMOKED BLUEFISH PâTé

Steps:

• To smoke bluefish: Build a small charcoal fire in one-third of a grill fitted with a lid. When the coals are covered with gray ash and the fire is at medium heat (you can hold your hand 5 inches above the coals for 3 to 4 seconds), add a handful of the wet hickory chips to the fire. Rub the fish with the olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place the fish, flesh side down, on the grill directly over the coals. Cook, covered, for 4 minutes, then transfer to the side of the grill without coals. Cover the grill and cook until the fish is opaque all the way through, about 6 minutes more. Remove the fish and let cool completely.
• Make the pâté: Flake the bluefish into the bowl of a food processor, discarding the skin. Add the cream cheese, butter and Cognac and pulse to combine. Add the onions, the strained juice of half the lemon and a pinch each of salt and pepper, then pulse again to combine. The purée should straddle the consistency line between a pâté and a mousse. Season with hot pepper sauce and more lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for a day or two.
• Serve the cold pâté in ramekins or turn out onto plates, accompanied by crackers, sliced baguette or pumpernickel.