But because bluefish are big fish that eat little fish, they can accumulate higher levels of PCBs than fish that are lower on the food chain. The bluefish's meat is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, the result of a diet that's almost exclusively fish, says Paul Caruso, a biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, who developed a taste for blues catching them as a kid on Cape Cod. I'd much prefer to catch a bluefish, and I like eating them more." People have this awe of stripers, but I think people are nuts. "Bass, if you give them one good run," he says, "they're pretty much pooped out. "If bluefish ever got as big as bass," he says, "you'd have to have a whole different set of gear, because they're so feisty." Webby agrees. "Pound for pound, they're a much better fighter," says Wayne Bergeron, who runs a charter fishing boat out of Sesuit Harbor in East Dennis for deep-water anglers. Still, some anglers prefer to take on the tough blue over the elegant striper. That handsome fish can grow upward of 60 pounds and has a classic beauty, with black stripes on a field of olive and silver extending the length of its body. It is unfortunate for the bluefish that it shares New England's coastal waters with the esteemed striped bass. You just stay put, because you know the blue-fish will come to you eventually." "Dark." Then the feeding frenzy begins, where "the whole surface is sprayed and peppered with baitfish popping up, and the gulls are going crazy diving at them. "All of a sudden, you'll see the water getting real electric-looking," he says. Webby describes himself as "obsessed." Almost every day during the season - which starts as early as mid-May in Massachusetts and continues into October - he's at a cove, harbor, jetty, or beach as evening approaches, tossing out bait and anticipating a feverish blitz. There, off Ridgevale Beach, he learned how to catch baby blues - also known as "snappers," because they practically emerge from their eggs with their jaws clamping. Webby, who grew up in Brockton, used to spend a few weeks every summer at a family cottage in Chatham. "They will fight you to the end," says Damian Webby, a property manager in West Chatham whose flexible schedule lets him pursue his passion doggedly from the shores and waters of the Lower Cape all summer and into the fall. This is what makes it a gratifying catch. While a blue-fish rarely exceeds 20 pounds, it has a brutish physiognomy - thick body, dense skull, large mouth, and prominent lower jaw full of razor-sharp teeth - and a deep-seated, innate orneriness. Legal Sea Foods executive chef Rich Vellante calls it "emblematic of summer," like sailboats on the Charles or traffic on Route 3, and he laments that the bluefish "has gotten a bad rap." By mid-July, those who have acquired the taste can find the fish just off New England's beaches and jetties, out in deeper waters, and in markets and restaurants, too. As Susan Orlean writes in Red Sox and Bluefish, it is "an oily, violent sea creature whose attitude (cranky) and flavor (rich) are revered throughout the region." Its savagery is legendary among anglers, and even its most fervent admirers on the plate call bluefish an acquired taste. Greenberg likes to simmer the fillets in a robust, peppery, sweet sauce inspired by a traditional Vietnamese caramel fish.If any fish has an image problem, it's the bluefish, even among some in New England. But they also stand up to assertive flavors like chiles, ginger, herbs and garlic, which makes them extremely versatile for the cook. Smaller fish, those in the two-to-four-pound range (with fillets weighing around 6 to 8 ounces each), will have the sweetest flesh.īluefish are rich and succulent when just grilled or broiled and topped with a squeeze of lemon to cut their richness. Greenberg, an avid bluefish fan, recommends buying them from a reliable source, the kind of place that will actually know how long ago they were caught. If you can’t catch them yourself, then Mr. “Bluefish have a time-sensitive compound that kicks in after three days and can give them a gamy flavor,” said Paul Greenberg, the author of “American Catch: The Fight for Our Local Seafood.”
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