Bacon of the Sea... Smoked Blue Fish

[Black Eye]

This is not only delicious but the only way to eat blue fish. This is exactly what I would expect Bacon to taste like if you could catch it out of the ocean. It's fantastic.

Typically blue fish are fit to throw back to the sea. Not my favorite fish to throw in the cooler. That being said I decided to keep a couple for the smoker to test a suggestion from a friend.


First step is to brine. I prefer to brine over night but it should be atleast 5 hours.
1 qt water
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Teriyaki sauce
2-3 tea spoons garlic powder
Any other seasonings you see fit to add.

Soak fillets well in brine over night. Don't bother taking skin off, best to smoke with it on and remove later. I did three fillets but you could do more with this brine. Pretty easy to double as well. In the morning take it out and put on rack (cookie or oven) and let dry till fillet gets tacky. This will take 3-4 hours. You can do this in the fridge but you better have some baking soda in there to soak up the fish smell. Letting the fillet get tacky will help with smoke flavoring stick and set.

Now that fillets are ready, throw them in the smoker. For a full flavor fish like this, use a heavy wood, Hickory, misquite... I use hickory. I use an electric smoker so I set the temp to 200 for 3 hours. At the three hour mark I drop the temp to 150 for another 1 1/2 - 2 hours. You don't want jerky but you want this to dry up quite a bit. I've found this cooking time works perfect

Take out of smoke and cool off a bit. At this point the skin comes off with ease. Trim fillet up as you see fit and eat. This is great on crackers (triskets) with a little veggie cream cheese spread. It should last a while but I've yet to test it. We usually polish it off over the weekend.

So good and smoky... Definitely worth the effort.

[S-Cackalacky]

Sounds tasty. When I lived in Fla., a few markets sold smoked mullet. It's pretty good smoked. Good deep fried too if fresh caught. One of the best smoked fish I ever ate was a big ole smoked amber jack a buddy caught and had smoked at a seafood smoke house. Smoked shark ain't bad either.

Have to agree though - blue fish ain't good for much else. A lot of fun to catch on hook and line - put up a hell of a fight.

Just sayin',
S-C

[Black Eye]

Yeah baked blue fish. Stuff it with a brick bake on 400 for 10 hours remove. Throw fish away eat brick.

Blues are oily and very fishy tasting baked or grilled. Smoked however they are damn tasty.

I love shark right on the grill, little Italian dressing and high quick heat. We catch threshers, mako and porbeagles here.

[S-Cackalacky]

Yeah baked blue fish. Stuff it with a brick bake on 400 for 10 hours remove. Throw fish away eat brick.

Blues are oily and very fishy tasting baked or grilled. Smoked however they are damn tasty.

I love shark right on the grill, little Italian dressing and high quick heat. We catch threshers, mako and porbeagles here.

Throw some shrimp and clams on there with the shark and you got yourself a seafood feast - with a few beers to wash it all down.

I've heard of people bleeding the blues while they're still alive. Never tried it - might make it tolerable. Never cared much for trout either for the same reason. I'll take grouper or snapper over any dark oily fish.

Just sayin',
S-C

[Black Eye]

If you bleed them out.... Fillet them quick and cook right on the beach they're tolerable.


We go clammin' a lot her... Throw them on the grill and eaten when they are open mmmmmm

S-Cack you know how to eat. If you ever find yourself in New England, you got a place to stay. We'll eat sea food till we grow gills.

[S-Cackalacky]

If you bleed them out.... Fillet them quick and cook right on the beach they're tolerable.


We go clammin' a lot her... Throw them on the grill and eaten when they are open mmmmmm

S-Cack you know how to eat. If you ever find yourself in New England, you got a place to stay. We'll eat sea food till we grow gills.

I was on the opposite end of the East coast, but after you develop a love for good seafood, there's nothin' else like it. I'm a land lubber now for more than 30 years, but god how I miss the bounty of the sea - much of it there for the taking. Me and my best buddy would walk into the Indian River and in half hour's time walk out with a five gallon bucket of clams - steam them up, melted lemon butter, couple of six packs, and life is good.

Just sayin',
S-C

[bluenose]

sorry folks, your fishes dishes all sound tasty, but the 'bacon' of the sea is scallops... no argument

why do you think people wrap them in bacon?? They're complimentary

'nuff said

[woodshed]

sorry folks, your fishes dishes all sound tasty, but the 'bacon' of the sea is scallops... no argument

why do you think people wrap them in bacon?? They're complimentary

'nuff said

They wrap them in bacon so they taste like bacon. Blue fish for sure.

[NZChris]

We don't have Blue Fish here, so I used Kahawai (salmon to an Australian). It got rave reviews and we will be doing it again.

[RandyMarshCT]

Yeah baked blue fish. Stuff it with a brick bake on 400 for 10 hours remove. Throw fish away eat brick.

Blues are oily and very fishy tasting baked or grilled. Smoked however they are damn tasty.

I love shark right on the grill, little Italian dressing and high quick heat. We catch threshers, mako and porbeagles here.

I feel the same way about blues. When I catch them off the beach I just kick them right back in.... unless someone is standing by that wants them. Now the threshers and mako I can eat all day (if I had a boat to get them with). Sounds like we get our fish from similar waters. If anyone likes smoked bluefish, get a bottle of Sharkbite Mustard from a guy in Portland Maine called "Captain Mowatt's". This guy makes some of the best hot sauces in the world (IMO). The Sharbite Mustard takes smoked bluefish from the "acceptable" level to the "gourmet food" level. His "Canceaux Sauce" is absolutely unreal. He makes all the sauces in his garage in 3-gallon batches. I'm a serious hot sauce lover and probably 5 of the 10 best hot sauces I've ever had were from that guy.

[ga flatwoods]

SC, what is wrong with you man? Dont eat trout! You been gone too long son! Come on down here with me for a week and I will have you liking them! If you lucky we can go over to Sapelo Island and get some bbq mullet straigt off the grill, maybe a coon leg, or pig, and a good drink o shine. Nothingmlike fresh GA Oysters or clams, bluecrab all boiled up. A nice fried redfish or flounder, or the flounder grilled or broiled, some cole slaw, beer batter hush puppies, and grits. Hell no we wount go hungry! When divorced and single, I would come home from work change clothes, grab my net and take the golf cart to the dock. Catch enough shrimp for me to take home and cook in the microwave with garlic salt and butter along with a potato. Damn that was good eatin for a single man. Oh yes, forgot the cold bud light in frozen glassware!
GA Flatwoods

[Truckinbutch]

SC, what is wrong with you man? Dont eat trout! You been gone too long son! Come on down here with me for a week and I will have you liking them! If you lucky we can go over to Sapelo Island and get some bbq mullet straigt off the grill, maybe a coon leg, or pig, and a good drink o shine. Nothingmlike fresh GA Oysters or clams, bluecrab all boiled up. A nice fried redfish or flounder, or the flounder grilled or broiled, some cole slaw, beer batter hush puppies, and grits. Hell no we wount go hungry! When divorced and single, I would come home from work change clothes, grab my net and take the golf cart to the dock. Catch enough shrimp for me to take home and cook in the microwave with garlic salt and butter along with a potato. Damn that was good eatin for a single man. Oh yes, forgot the cold bud light in frozen glassware!
GA Flatwoods

You keep talkin like that and I'm gonna load up a gallon or so of my best and come knockin at your door .

[ga flatwoods]

Give me an hour to clean up first! Perfect hideout if ya have to do it! Trout still biting. "MEXICO" is gassed and ready to go.
GA Flatwoods

[S-Cackalacky]

OK, somebody had to bring this thread back to life. Had to know TB and Flatwoods would be in the middle of it. I'm sittin' here on the couch with my laptop droolin' all over the front of my shirt. And, they ain't no good seafood within a hunderd miles of this place. Thanks guys.

Just sayin',
S-C

[Truckinbutch]

OK, somebody had to bring this thread back to life. Had to know TB and Flatwoods would be in the middle of it. I'm sittin' here on the couch with my laptop droolin' all over the front of my shirt. And, they ain't no good seafood within a hunderd miles of this place. Thanks guys.

Just sayin',
S-C

Why , hell ! Who'se to say we can't just turn this into a yard party at Flatwoods' place ? Don't seem like we are gettin together very often at the Liar's Bench lately .

[ga flatwoods]

You guys like some friends of mine here. Plan, plan, plan, talk crap, then only believe them to show up when you see them!
GA

[S-Cackalacky]

You guys like some friends of mine here. Plan, plan, plan, talk crap, then only believe them to show up when you see them!
GA

Yep, we all just livin' a virtual life here. The only reality is what's comin' out the end of a pipe. But, if I could find your front door and I knew you could serve up a two foot long shrimp that you have to bash in the head with a baseball bat, like you use to talk about on the Liar's Bench, I'd be there in a heartbeat.

Just sayin',
S-C

Edit: By the way - TB is seafood deprived - living over there in the WV mountains. He's liable to show up unannounced anyway. He's a resourceful man and might find you if seafood is at stake.

[Rng4]

Best way to eat mullet is BBQ. Catch the big 'bank loafers' in September when they are just starting to develope roe. They have a thick layer of fat that makes them juicy. Cut the slabs of the bone leaving the scales and skin on. Put them on the grill at medium heat and the skin curls up on the edges holding the juices on the meat. Season them with Everglades seasoning and crystal hot sauce. When they done u eat the meat with a fork right off the skin. Pot of fresh collards and some hush puppies and a nap is usually in order afterward. When we catch them with a cast net usually get more than we can eat and have to give some away. Fish ain't worth eating after it's been frozen.

[ga flatwoods]

Call me when they ready next!
GA