[J_Lannon]

Taylor Blue's

Anyone have any Taylor Blue recipies?

I have been catching a ton of them off Dam Neck and just throw them back.

I love fish, but I won't take one home just to sit in the freezer

Also what is the best way to prepare them?

Any feedback would be appreciated.


thx guys and girls

 

[FL FISHERMAN]

One quick advice to get them ready for the skillet is cut the throat right after you catch them and they will bleed out. This gets rid of the "fishy" area in the middle of the filet when you cook them.

 

[Anthony]

You can try soaking the bluefish in milk for about half an hour before cooking. This actually helps with any fish that has a fishy smell. You can also marinate the blues in italian dressing the broiling them with a little old bay. I have also heard people having success by smoking them. Hope this helps.
-Anthony

 

[emanuel]

You could probably apply my shark recipe to the blues. Make sure you cut out the red meat. I think that's where the nasty taste comes from. I just don't eat them as a rule though.

 

[Kenmefish]

Actually the taylor blues do not have the strong taste that most people associate with blue fish. As others have said it doesn't hurt to bleed them and to eat them fresh. Blues do not freeze well for very long. The small ones actually fry very well. I use House Autry breader mix with a touch of Old Bay.
Filet and skin the blues and then split the filets down the center line, removing the red as much as possible. That is what taste bitter but it is not bad in small blues. The bigger they get the stronger they taste, but up to 5# they are very good. Just lighly bread them and fry in hot oil. With fried taters, coleslaw, corn bread and your favorite beverage, you have a feast.
You can also make fish cakes out of the bigger blues, which are delicious. Again you filet and skin the filets , then boil them and flake them up into small chunks. Use the recipe on the Old Bay crab spice can to make cakes which are quite good.
Just keep what you can eat while fresh and throw the rest back, as they do not hold up well in the freezer.
Try them and see what you think. I know people who like blues more then any other fish. They taste and smell like fish which is what some people want.

 

[Manayunk Jake]

Here's my "recipe" (more a way of preparing the fish) that can make even larger blues tasty: Fillet and skin the catch as soon as possible, and keep the fillets cold (preferably on lots of ice.) Fire up your outside grill (preferably the old fashioned charcoal type so you can toss the coals away when finished.) Place a fillet on a sheet of aluminum foil with stewed tomatoes. Pour more stewed tomatoes on top of the fillet, and add green pepper rings and onion rings (more for eye appeal than anything else.) Seal up the aluminum foil. Right before throwing the foil pouch on the grill, poke wholes in the bottom with a meat fork. Cook the fillets on the grill for about ten minutes (adjust time for size.) You'll see/hear/smell the oily fat drop through the wholes and hit the charcoal. Flip the fillet over so the "seam" side of the aluminum pouch is down. There will be a lot more juices pouring through the seams. Remove the pouch after two minutes, and serve with salt, pepper, and lemon.

The stewed tomatoes "nuetralize" the fishy taste, and the holes allow the chemical laden fatty deposits to melt and drain away. I don't eat fish, but I've never had complaints after preparing the blues this way.

 

[emanuel]

For someone who catches so many fish, I find it hard to believe you don't eat them.

 

[Manayunk Jake]

Greetings emmanuel!

I enjoy a good broiled fluke fillet stuffed with crab lump meat now and then, but all in all, I'll stick to prime rib and pork chops! I never seem to have a problem giving fish away, and not eating them goes a long way towards developing a catch and release attitude. Besides, I like that blank stare I get from nearby anglers when I toss a keeper rock over the side....

 

[emanuel]

Yeah, I too enjoy the feeling of putting back a keeper. It's funny watching people get angry because they can't catch anything and I'm tossing back keepers all day long.

 

[sand flea]

Reminds me of the last good striper blitz I got into a couple of winters ago. A guy was standing on the beach, watching me release fish after fish after fish. He finally walked up to me and said, "Are you on drugs?"

 

[hic-lock]

LMAO

 

[J_Lannon]

Thx Everyone

I'll try a few of these taylor recipies and see how it goes. They all sound great to me.

I have been catching about 3-4 a day over at the Dam Neck beach. Would probably catch even more but they boot you from the beach at dark. I go most every day after work

Dam Neck is really good for Roundhead, small Stripers, Croaker, Taylor's. You can catch the ocassional small Flounder and Mr Skate also. Cut bait and squid work really well.

Only time I get skunked is when the waves start capping about 400-500 feet off the beach. Then the water is almost brown out to that point. Then it's about useless to even get your bait wet.

If any of you would like to join me , just send me a message. I always enjoy meeting fellow anglers. Im new to salt water. I grew up fly fishing in Maine, and loved to fish the brooks and rivers. It would be great to spend some time with some of you more seasoned salt water types, and maybe pick up some pointers.

 

[Manayunk Jake]

Greetings All!

Call me anal, but I'm sure the correct reference is TAILOR blues -- they can cut your line (or a wayward finger) like a sharp pair of shears! I've also heard blues between 2-5 pounds called "cocktail" blues, but have no idea what the reference is....

 

[J_Lannon]

Ref. Tailor Blues

Correction noted thx

 

[chest2head&glassy]

The definition is from Webster - but does anybody know the origin of bluefish nicknames - chompers, snappers, tailors, etc. And do guys up in Jersey really call them "horse mackeral"?

I don't think Webster ever threw metal during a blues blitz.

Bluefish
Blue"fish` (?), n. (Zoöl.)
1. A large voracious fish (Pomatomus saitatrix), of the family Carangidæ, valued as a food fish, and widely distributed on the American coast. On the New Jersey and Rhode Island coast it is called the horse mackerel, in Virginia saltwater tailor, or skipjack.

2. A West Indian fish (Platyglossus radiatus), of the family Labridæ. &hand; The name is applied locally to other species of fishes; as the cunner, sea bass, squeteague, etc.

 

[Kenmefish]

Very interesting, I figured tailor was a slang term. I learn something everyday on this site.

thanks

 

[Manayunk Jake]

Greetings All!

In NJ, almost all of the common names for bluefish refer to the "size" of the fish, and usually reflect their toothy nature. there are "snappers" or "snapping blues" (under a pound), "cocktails" and/or "tailors" (up to about six pounds), "choppers" (seven to ten pounds), "gators" (ten to fifteen pounds), and those lovely "slammers" (fifteen pounds and over.) The names just let you know what to expect. If the B&T says the slammers are in the surf, be prepared. If the snappers are all over the bay, you know you're going to retrieve a lot of fluke minnows cut in half. Choppers that head north in the Spring come back as gators or slammers in the Fall. Whatever the name, they're fun to catch (but can be a "pain" if you're targeting other species), and can save the day when nothing else is hitting.