Smoked Bluefish Pie

After talking with a blog from the Friday Shoot Out Team, Gordon (who is an avid fisherman) about non-cooking related topics; I mention that hubby requested me cook his prized catch, bluefish for our weekend dinner. Gordon says "I have only smoked them", and I agree that finding recipes for this fish were difficult.

Bluefish is an oily fish that is found and caught off the Nova Scotia coast down to Florida where Gordon resides. This fish is commonly caught off the waters of New Jersey, and can be found occasionally on menus in some restaurants. The fillets are not a popular fish to serve due to its meats coloration. Coloration is a grayish blue-green dorsally, fading to white on the lower sides and belly.

















I had no difficulty with separating the unappetizing dark flesh from the tasty and firm texture of the white meat for my pie. Catching the bluefish can be easy, but removing it from the hook is another story with its razor sharp teeth.

What a great pairing it was. The cherry-tomato glazed smoked bluefish with my house made ricotta cheese (ricotta cheese instruction blog at a later date), flash sauteed tiny cubed potatoes, Vidalia onions strips, and a dollop of cream cheese. I did not stir the mixture together, nor added heavy cream, because I wanted a lighter and less rich pie. The flavor of the smoked fish rang out this way, along with the ricotta cheese. Light, and flavorful was the goal.





















Take some fresh tomatoes and cherries and make a BBQ glaze for the bluefish, and any other ingredients you might want throw in the smoker...

Cherries have been in abundance, so I have made quite a few dishes with this ingredient in the past few weeks.



















Assemble the pie, and place some puff pastry crust on top, and bake!





















Next...a summer and Jersey fresh cherry Gazpacho...



















Cherry BBQ Sauce

1 medium onion

3 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 cups fresh, seeded/strained crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 2 oranges)

1/2 cup tomato paste

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 cups fresh seeded cherries, crushed

Procedure
1. In a medium saucepan, cook the onion over medium-high heat, until it softens, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and chili powder and cook 1 minute more. Add the tomatoes, orange juice, tomato paste, sugar, and cherries and cook 5 minutes more, stirring frequently.

2. Transfer the mixture to a blender or a food processor fitted with the metal blade and blend until smooth. Transfer to a plastic container and keep cold in a refrigerator or ice-filled cooler until ready to use or for up to one week (will appear dark).