Quick and Easy Broiled Bluefish Fillets With Lime Aioli Recipe

Niki Achitoff-Gray
Quick and Easy Broiled Bluefish Fillets With Lime Aioli Recipe
*
  • Yield:Serves 4
  • Active time:10 minutes
  • Total time:20 minutes
This recipe appears in:
In Defense of Bluefish

The secret to tasty bluefish is to play up its strengths. [Photographs: Vicky Wasik]

A rich and juicy fish that's almost impossible to cook to the point of dryness, bluefish is practically custom-built for simple preparations like this one, where it's rubbed with a lime- and chile-spiked aioli, roasted until tender, then quickly broiled until browned on top. It's so easy, you can have it on the table in under 30 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 2 medium garlic cloves
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 yolk from a large egg
  • 2 teaspoons fresh juice from 1 lime, plus wedges for serving
  • 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
  • 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon lime zest from 1 lime
  • 1 1/2 pounds bluefish fillets, cut into 4 even portions
  • 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaft parsely

Directions

  1. 1.

    Preheat oven to 400°F and arrange oven rack 8 inches from broiler element. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.

  2. 2.

    Meanwhile, in a mortar and pestle, combine garlic with a pinch of salt and work into a paste. In a medium bowl, whisk together garlic paste, lime zest, egg yolk, lime juice, mustard, and chili powder. Whisking constantly, drizzle in canola and extra-virgin olive oils in a slow, steady stream to form a thick, emulsified sauce. Season aioli with salt and pepper. Alternatively, using a blender, blend garlic with egg yolk, lime juice, mustard, and chili powder; then drizzle in canola oil in a thin, steady stream until a thick, emulsified sauce forms. Whisk in olive oil (do not add olive oil in blender) and season with salt and pepper.

  3. 3.

    Pat bluefish fillets dry with paper towels and arrange on baking sheet. Using an offset spatula or butter knife, spread aioli evenly all over fillets. Bake until bluefish reaches 135°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 7 minutes. Remove from oven and turn on broiler.

  4. 4.

    Broil bluefish until lightly browned and bubbling on top and an instant-read thermometer registers 140°F when inserted in center, about 4 minutes. Transfer bluefish to plates, sprinkle with parsley, and serve with lime wedges.

Show 4 Comments