We went to Truro’s Coast Guard Beach, where he loved to cast for blues and pray for a blitz. My mother and sisters and I were ready to dispose of Dad’s ashes. A friend promised that, in time, I’d be able to remember him and smile. The summer Dad died, I didn’t have much appetite for anything.
SMOKING BLUEFISH PORTABLE
His time at the beach was limited to the occasional drive in his old Jeep Cherokee, portable oxygen tank in tow, to look at the water.
He had trouble breathing, so the smoker stayed in the shed. But I don’t think he ever relished the satisfaction of being a good provider as much as he did when we devoured the fish that he caught and smoked himself.īut then my father got sick. Beach houses and lazy days spent fishing were for rich kids.ĭad was proud of his success, for traveling far enough in life to have a summer house on Cape Cod. For my father, who put himself through college and law school, summers were for working. Dad spent long hot days at the grill with his mother, flipping burgers for the teenagers relaxing at the shore. One summer, his father ran a burger joint in a beach town in Connecticut.
SMOKING BLUEFISH CRACKER
“Who’s going to make me a cracker?” he’d say, and a grandson would jump to slather a cracker with cream cheese and spread some of the soft fish on top.ĭad grew up poor. With a breeze off the bay coming through the screen door, Dad would sit in his favorite chair, his legs on the ottoman, a tumbler of Glenmorangie in one hand and the jaunty clarinet of Benny Goodman on the radio.
We all loved it, from the youngest grandchild on up. Feasting on the smoked bluefish before dinner was a summer ritual when I was a kid, and long after I’d grown up. Pale, moist, and with a delicate brininess, his version was even better than the pricey kippered salmon we ate with cream cheese on bagels back home in New York. The result was uniquely his - not too smoky, not too fishy, and nothing like the dark, hard, salty smoked bluefish you could buy in the market. The author’s late father, Carleton Dukess, completing step one of his smoked bluefish recipe.
Let the fish smoke for hours - long enough to take a shower and have a nap on the living room couch, and for the tide to come in and fill the Pamet marsh like a lake. Prep the filets with some mysterious ingredients and crank up the smoker. But when it came to smoking bluefish, he worked magic.Ĭatch a bluefish at a Truro beach, preferably during a blitz, and filet it on the deck of the house, washing away the blood and guts with a garden hose. He was good with burgers and steaks and made a fine tuna salad. Sargento Chipotle Cheddar And Spicy Twice-Baked Po.TRURO - Like many men of his generation, my father was not much of a cook.The Omnivore's Hundred List - An Entertaining Dive.Ramen Review 8: Nissin Cup Noodles Premium Homesty.Seasonings Part Two: Bacon Salt Without The Hype.Lokkii BBQ Briquettes - Expensive and Disappointing.You should leave the fish in the brine for at least four hours, but it's okay to let it go longer (even a couple of days if you're not going to get to it right away - the brine is a great preservative also.) Just remember that the longer you leave it in the brine, the saltier it may be. It adds to and enhances the flavor, of course, but it also helps the fish to retain moisture during the smoking process. Cover and refrigerate while brining - a minimum of four hours.īrining the bluefish is important. Pour over the bluefish to cover in a shallow pan and add the bay leaves, mustard seed, and peppercorns. Add the salt and sugar and stir or shake to dissolve completely. You can make as much as you'll need to completely cover the fish - I usually make it by the quart:Ĭombine the water and soy sauce. The process is similar to making homemade bacon with the biggest difference (besides the brine itself) being that the fish doesn't have to sit in a cure for a week. Smoking bluefish isn't complicated, but it does take some time. It's great baked or grilled or to add a richer flavor to a fish chowder, and I also like cutting fillets into small bites and making "bluefish nuggets." But most of all, I love it smoked. People who prefer very mild white fish often don't care much for blue, however. If it's handled properly - iced immediately after catching, and kept cold - the flavor is no stronger than other oily fish like salmon or swordfish. A cold-water Atlantic predator fish, they are a common sport and food fish here and are especially popular along the Connecticut coastline during the annual run that goes from mid-July through August.īlues have dark and somewhat purple-bluish flesh which is oily and tends to be on the "fishy" side, similar to mackerel. One of the best things about living in New England is the ready availability of bluefish.
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