Bluefish are like the threat of Islamists imposing Sharia law in Oklahoma, terrifying, in every way like Rush Limbaugh’s most fervid nightmare, except Bluefish are real. Simply put, you can’t say where they might strike next. Few are the places where a fisherman has never cursed these nasty bastards while scrubbing slime off the deck of his boat and tackle. Their nastiness is experienced firsthand by fisherfolk from a broad sampling of nationalities and ethnicities. The extent to which Bluefish are distributed around the globe is stunning. Anglers spend countless hours on shore and in boats on the water fishing for them, some people even claim to like eating them, but if one were allowed only three words to describe the Bluefish to a farmer from Topeka, they would be the first three words of this paragraph. Ok, that fish doesn’t even want to be the Bluefish’s second cousin. Think of the second nastiest fish you can. So nasty in fact that they are the only member of the family Pomatomidae. If, like a scientist, you refer to Bluefish by their Latin name then you’ve probably never been covered in a slurry of regurgitated sand eels and blood, while removing a lure from one of their frothing, snapping mouths of teeth. If you’ve ever had much cause to interact with Pomatomus Saltatrix, then you know what I mean. Serve immediately, garnished with chopped chives.Bluefish are nasty. Remove from the heat and mix in the fish and cream. Stir in the corn and sherry and cook another minute or two until the corn is warmed through. With a slotted spoon, remove half of the potatoes. Reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in the dry mustard, stock, potatoes, and thyme sprigs, season with salt (~2 teaspoons) and pepper, and a pinch of cayenne, bring to a boil. Add the leek and celery and cook over medium-low heat until soft and translucent, about 13-15 minutes.
My smoker accommodates one fish at a time accordingly, I used a new batch of hickory and cherrywood to smoke the second bluefish. Each fish was smoked for 22 minutes, cooled, deboned, and flaked into large chunks. To smoke the fish I used my stovetop smoker with 1 tablespoon hickory and 1 tablespoon cherrywood. One disclaimer: commercially smoked fish tends to be quite salty adjust the salt in the chowder accordingly.Ģ (1-pound) whole bluefish, scaled and cleanedġ leek (white and pale green parts), mincedġ 1/4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into ~ 1/3-inch cubes Of course, you can’t visit Ann Arbor without making a stop at this legendary spot. And, if you ever find yourself in Ann Arbor, MI, be sure to visit this spot, where they hot and cold smoke a wide array of fish and meat in house. If you happen to have an Eastern European grocery store in your area, even better ( this one in Chicago was a favorite of mine this one in Rockville, MD, is worth the drive). Or, if you are not up to smoking your own fish, you could substitute with commercially smoked whitefish (or bluefish, if available). You can smoke the fish in advance, flake it, and have the meat ready to toss into the chowder. Fillets also work well for smoking, but I prefer the whole fish (they are usually less expensive since you are not paying your fishmonger for his/her services, and they tend to remain considerably more moist when smoked on the bone).
Bluefish are ideal for smoking in that they are meaty and oily. Cherrywood is more subtle, whereas hickory imparts stronger, smoky notes. These bluefish were hot smoked using cherrywood and hickory chips. That being said, there will be smoked bluefish salad in the future, maybe with homemade bialys as well. The addition of sherry at the end adds nutty and sweet notes, but the star of the bowl is the house-smoked bluefish. In addition to a bit of cream, mashing some of the potatoes and incorporating them back into the chowder gives it a pleasantly thick and creamy texture. This chowder totally hits the spot - smoky, hearty, comforting. Just can’t resist a hearty bowl of chowder. Although, somewhere along the way, my idea for smoked whitefish salad morphed into a smoked bluefish chowder. Maybe I was just a weird kid, but have always loved smoked fish, and am still as big a fan as ever. Growing up in New York, there was always an array of really good bagels (not those omnipresent oversized, doughy, imposter bagels you know what I’m talking about) along with bialys, gravlax, and smoked whitefish salad. Don’t know if it’s the holiday season or what, but I woke this morning thinking about smoked fish - in particular, smoked whitefish salad.