Mediterranean Bluefish
When most people think of bluefish, they think of the strong taste and oiliness that a bluefish typically has. In an older recipe I had made a few years ago, I had simply marinated the fish in red wine vinegar for 30 minutes, then taken the fish and put it under the broiler to lightly caramelize the fish, and, take the fishiness out of the bluefish. It worked beautifully, and for this recipe, I have taken it one step further and created a delicious mediterranean inspired sauce that goes deliciously with the bluefish.
The sauce is made with simple ingredients - chopped tomatoes, garlic, lemon and parsley, with a few ingredients you may not expect - capers, raisins and ground cumin.
The flavors come together beautifully, and the sauce can be simmering slowly while you marinate the fish in the vinegar and then give it a quick broil.
If you are good at multi-tasking, this dish could be made even faster than one hour, but it is more realistic to plan for at least one hour. Just remember to not let the fish marinate in the vinegar any longer than 30 minutes, otherwise you won't taste the fishiness, but you will taste vinegar!
I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!
- 1 pound bluefish filets - the smaller the bluefish, the better it will taste
- 4 C red wine vinegar (or enough to fully immerse the filets)
- 1/3 C olive oil
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
- 10 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp all-natural sweet Spanish paprika
- 2 tsp organic ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 1/2 tbsp capers
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 TBS butter
- grated parmesan cheese
- Fresh parsley or mint for garnish
- Marinate the fish: In a deep dish, put the fish in and then pour enough vinegar over to fully immerse the fish. Let the fish sit and marinate in the vinegar for 30 minutes.
- While the fish marinates, prepare the tomato sauce. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering.
- Add onions, cook until it begins to turn gold in color, tossing regularly. Add tomatoes, garlic, spices, pinch of salt (not too much) and pepper, capers, and raisins. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to medium-low and let simmer for 15 minutes or so.
- Once fish has marinated, remove the fish from the vinegar and discard the vinegar. Set the broiler to high and make sure the rack is in the middle of the oven. Broil the fish for about 5 minutes, or until the fish is almost all the way cooked through. Remove the fish from the oven.
- In a large saute pan, heat the butter over medium-high. Once melted, place fish down into the pan and season with a little salt, pepper and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Let the fish simmer for about 2-3 minutes each side, repeating the salt, pepper and cheese on the other side.
- Pour lemon juice into the sauce, stir and taste for more salt if needed. Pour the sauce over the fish into the saute pan, letting it come to a simmer and allowing the flavors to come together (about 5 minutes).
- Serve immediately with extra sauce spooned over the top of the fish.
