![]() made, and consumed daily, his own smoked bluefish paté, on sandwiches and among cocktail nibbles up on the balcony. What he didn’t sell or give to the needy, he ate or smoked to eat later. I’ve lived vicariously through Phil’s writings, for which I will be forever grateful. Jackson, retired cop-turned-fisherman, who lived a simple life but got caught up in some complicated situations. Craig was an American writer who, among other accomplishments, produced 20 mystery novels set on Martha’s Vineyard. Yet I feel a kindred, a bond, with one of Craig’s best buddies. Serve smoked bluefish dip on a cracker with a glass of sparkling wine.PHILIP R Craig, I’ve never met. Smoked bluefish, lightly crumbled and added to the wet ingredients. The fillets were smoked until flaky but still slightly moist. The bluefish cooks slowly, soaking up mild flavors from the wood smoke. The bluefish fillets set up to smoke on an infrared grill – fillets on the cold side, wood chips on the hot side. A couple 3-pound blues are the perfect size for smoking. ![]() It took about 30-45 minutes until the fish was cooked through. ![]() You can use a tinfoil pouch or a smoking box if you have a regular gas grill. I have an infrared grill, so adding smoke is as easy as dropping a few chips of apple wood into the grate on the hot side. Rub the grates with Canola oil so the fish won’t stick and season the fillets with a small amount of salt, pepper and cayenne. So instead of dragging out the dedicated smoker, I heat up the gas grill, then turn one side completely off and place the fillets on that side. The goal is to cook the fish and add some smoky flavor. When it comes to smoking bluefish for dip, however, I prefer quick and easy, as the bluefish will be crumbled and mashed into the dip anyway. You can get pretty technical about smoking fish, with brines and rubs, even bastes and glazes, and smokers that ensure precise air flow and temperature. I hate being asked questions like, “What is the best way to smoke fish?” or “What is the best recipe for striped bass?” It is like being asked, “What is the best way to make love?” – a question that cannot be answered, though even the worst way is at least interesting. ![]() Here’s what I put in this weekend’s batch, best I can recall:Īs far as how to smoke the bluefish, I’ll quote Pops, who wrote in his November 2011 column: I also like to go with a cream cheese base but add some sour cream to thin the texture a bit and give it some tang. I like a lot of horseradish, a good squeeze of lemon juice, and some heat from hot sauce. As long as you combine flavors that taste good on their own, they will be made better with the addition of smoked bluefish.Įvery time I’ve made a batch of smoked bluefish dip, it’s come out a little bit different, but I’ve settled on a few preferences. Pops has suggested capers and smoked paprika as a good flavor combination, and he has even been experimenting with mascarpone cheese as a base, with a TBS of Dijon mustard for flavor. Sour cream, chives and chopped red bell pepper tasted good and looked festive. I’ve also tried experimenting a bit with the flavors – adding Worcestershire sauce to the pâté and substituting shallots for onions was good, as was scallions and sriracha sauce in the dip instead of parsley/garlic/horseradish. I’ve tried both recipes, and they are excellent.
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