Blue Crush

If any fish has an image problem, it's the bluefish, even among some in New England. 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. 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. 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."

Maybe it's the attitude. 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. This is what makes it a gratifying catch. "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. Webby, who grew up in Brockton, used to spend a few weeks every summer at a family cottage in Chatham. 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 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. "All of a sudden, you'll see the water getting real electric-looking," he says. "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. It's a massive explosion. You just stay put, because you know the blue-fish will come to you eventually."

It is unfortunate for the bluefish that it shares New England's coastal waters with the esteemed striped bass. 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. Still, some anglers prefer to take on the tough blue over the elegant striper. "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. "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. "Bass, if you give them one good run," he says, "they're pretty much pooped out. People have this awe of stripers, but I think people are nuts. I'd much prefer to catch a bluefish, and I like eating them more."

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. 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. It is recommended that pregnant women and women who are breast-feeding avoid blues altogether and that everyone else broil rather than fry the fish and remove skin, fat, and dark meat before digging in.

Jasper White, chef-owner of the Summer Shack restaurants in Boston and Cambridge, says he's served bluefish every day since opening in Cambridge six years ago. "It has an assertive, full flavor," he says, calling cod and haddock "boring" in comparison. White, who grew up fishing on the New Jersey shore, says he learned the best technique for preserving bluefish from other fishermen: bleeding the creatures before they're packed in ice or filleted. "You put your fingers behind the gills, so it can't bite you - they really are ferocious fish - and cut the vein behind its neck," he says. "Hang it off the boat until all the blood pours out, then pack it in ice."

Nobody would call bluefish an elegant dinner, but that's part of its allure. It succeeds with simple preparations, such as a light brushing with garlic butter before going on the grill. Ned Webster, general manager of The Chatham Squire in Chatham, ate bluefish regularly at the family dinner table growing up. His customers, he says, are learning to love the fish. His restaurant serves smoked bluefish pate, but at home, he grills it.

The meat also stands up well, chefs say, to assertive foils like tangy mayonnaise, spicy chorizo sausage, or Cajun seasonings and to acidic ingredients like vinaigrette, citrus, and tomatoes.

Then there are bluefish cheeks. "It's an old-fashioned thing," says David Glidden, owner of Glidden's Island Seafood on Nantucket. "Not many people ask for it anymore." Sarah Lydon, a marketing writer in Boston, remembers savoring this tiny fillet - cut from a particularly fatty part of the fish behind its eyes and in front of its gills - at her family's summer home. She describes the meat as more delicate and fine-grained than the rest of the fish; before frying, cheeks are typically dipped in egg and bread crumbs. "My mom fried them up like Chicken McNuggets," Lydon says.

In a region where tradition and innovation are both revered, just as a renaissance for bluefish cheeks is unlikely, so is a change in this marginalized, mean, and ugly fish's fortunes. Which is good news for those of us who love them.

WHERE TO CATCH THEM
When a blitz hits, bluefish practically impale themselves on any hook in the water. Here's where to drop yours.

NORTH SHORE Salisbury Beach and Plum Island at the mouth of the Merrimack River are prime spots, says Nancy Balch, manager of Ippi's Bait & Tackle in Lynn. Jeff Favaloro, a rod-and-reel technician at Yankee Bait & Tackle in Gloucester, recommends the long jetty that extends off of Eastern Point into Gloucester Harbor as well as the rocks along the Magnolia shore.

BOSTON HARBOR Tony Tran, owner of P&J Bait Shop in Dorchester, says Castle Island Pier in South Boston is the most reliable spot in town, though Jack Maz, manager of Fishing Finatics in Everett, says the Reserved Channel where the cruise ships tie up - you stand right on the dock - is "a honey hole" for bluefish.

SOUTH SHORE Bowl-shaped Peggotty Beach in Scituate attracts the fish blues love, says Pete Belsan of Belsan Bait & Tackle in Scituate. He adds that along Duxbury Beach in Duxbury, there is plenty of surf-casting from High Pines south to Gurnet Point.

THE CAPE Of "all the beaches on the Cape," says Rich Generazio, owner of Falmouth Bait and Tackle Co. in East Falmouth, South Cape Beach in Mashpee has "the most bluefish," though he also likes the fishing at Menauhant Beach in East Falmouth.

HOW TO COOK THEM
Easy, summery recipes adapted from three restaurant pros.

UNCLE NEDLEY'S BLUEFISH
SERVES 2
FROM NED WEBSTER

Aluminum foil
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
2 8-ounce bluefish fillets
1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 ripe tomato, thinly sliced
1/4 cup white wine
1 lemon or lime, cut in half

Set the oven at 350 degrees or heat a gas or charcoal grill.

Tear off two long pieces of foil. Cut the butter into thin slices and distribute evenly on one-half of each piece of foil, then place the fillets on top of the butter. Divide the pepper, onion, and tomato slices and place on top of the fish. Fold the remaining half of the foil over the food and crimp two of the sides tightly, forming a packet that is open on one end. Pour half of the wine and the juice of half of a lime or lemon into one packet, then crimp the remaining side closed. Do the same to the other packet.

If cooking in an oven, bake the packets for 15 minutes. If cooking on a grill, check the fish after 5 minutes by opening a packet and testing the flesh with a fork; when it flakes easily, it's done. Serve immediately.

GRILLED BLUEFISH WITH ROASTED CORN RELISH
SERVES 4
FROM RICH VELLANTE

2 ears corn, shucked
1 red bell pepper, cut into small dice
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided Salt and black pepper, to taste 4 8-ounce bluefish fillets

Heat a gas or charcoal grill.

On a hot grill, roast corn until golden brown. Allow ears to cool, then cut the kernels from each. In a small bowl, toss corn with bell pepper and cilantro. Add lime juice, sugar, red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and 1 teaspoon of salt and toss. Set aside.

Brush fillets with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Place on a hot grill, skin side up, and grill for 5 minutes. Using a spatula, flip the fillets and continue grilling for another 5 minutes, until done.

Serve with the roasted corn relish.

BROILED BLUEFISH WITH GARLIC BUTTER
SERVES 4
Adapted from the Summer Shack Cookbook from Jasper White

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 8-ounce bluefish fillets
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Lemon wedges (for garnish)
Fresh parsley (for garnish)

Adjust the broiler rack to about 6 inches from the source of heat and turn on the broiler. Line a heavy sheet pan with aluminum foil. In a bowl, combine butter, parsley, and garlic and set aside.

Using a sharp knife, make diagonal incisions (about 1/2-inch deep in the thickest part and three-quarters of an inch apart) across the skin side of each piece of fish. Coat the fish with oil before arranging the pieces skin side down on the pan. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the pan under the broiler and cook the fillets for 6 minutes. Remove from the broiler and spoon a quarter of the butter mixture onto each fillet. Return to the broiler and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, until the fish is firm. Remove from the broiler and transfer to plates. Serve with lemon wedges and parsley.

Gary Santaniello is a freelance writer in Easton, Connecticut. Send comments to magazine@globe.com.