Spaghetti with Bluefish
Region: Italy
Category: Pasta with Fish
Season: Summer
Difficulty: Easy but labor intensive

My first experience with bluefish was when I lived on Long Island, New York as a teenager and my mom would stuff the freezer with the bluefish she caught--usually 20 pounds or so. The first thing you notice when you fish for bluefish is that these a voracious, powerful, gluttonous fish travel in schools, one large mass of rapidly spinning buzz-saws. In New England, where I later lived, bluefish is also a very popular fish when the "blues are running." When the blues run it is a magnificent sight, and dangerous if you are in the water, because these fish swim in schools churning the water like an egg-beater, a symbiotic eating machine, their sharp teeth slicing through anything in the way. They're incredibly easy to catch because they sink their teeth into everything, but bluefish deteriorate rapidly after being caught, their taste changing from delicious to bland in a day. I've seen this myself when I made this recipe for friends once: the bluefish was 3 hours old when I cooked it and no one recognized what the fish was, only having had the older and duller store-bought bluefish. Moral of the story: freshness will be more important than using bluefish in this recipe. But do choose a fish with the same rich dark flesh.

[photo: Clifford A. Wright]

Yield: Makes 3 to 4 servings
Preparation Time: 45 minutes

3/4 pound bluefish fillet, cut into small pieces

All-purpose flour for dredging

Salt to taste

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/4 cup dry white wine

1 1/2 cups tomato puree

1 dried whole red chile

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1/2 pound spaghetti

1. Dredge the fish pieces in the flour, salt lightly, and shake or pat off excess flour. Set aside.

2. In a flameproof casserole, heat the olive oil over high heat, then cook, stirring, the onion until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the floured pieces of fish and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

3. Pour 1 cup wine into the casserole to de-glaze over high heat. When half of the wine has evaporated, add the tomato puree, dried chile, and season with salt and pepper. Stir, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes. Return the fish to the casserole, turn the heat to medium and cook 6 minutes. Add the parsley and a few tablespoons of wine if necessary to thin the sauce. Stir well.

4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, salt abundantly then cook the pasta, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente.  Drain without rinsing.

5. Transfer the pasta to the casserole and toss with the fish and sauce and serve.

Posted: 12/18/2006