Bluefish "Crab" Cakes

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serves 4-6

1 lb skinless poached bluefish fillets (any basic poaching recipe will do--one follows), cooled so that you can handle to flake meat
1/2 - 1 tsp Old Bay
2-4 Tbls. minced onion
1-2 Tbls. minced green pepper
couple drops of Worchestershire, if desired
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. finely crushed cracker crumbs (saltines or oyster crackers work well)
4 Tbls. mayonnaise
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
salt & pepper to taste, preferably light on salt & a bit heavier on pepper)

Flake Bluefish,(try not to just smash it, but work with it like crabmeat, kepping it flaky) then mix all ingredients together, form into cakes. Fry in oil or melted butter at 350 until light brown -maybe 4-5 min a side--ck for browning to turn.
-- or bake in 400 oven with a pat of butteer on top & a little white wine poured over (no more than 1/4 c., depending on how many cakes you are baking) about 15-20 min

Serve with tartar sauce & lemon wedges. Thats it. nothing else to it.

To insure against any fatty flavor, after poaching bluefish, remove the darker flesh -- its taste is strong -- your cat will love it, but not your diners. Even tho we thoroughly bleed & clean our blues, there is still alittle dark meat you gotta pick out after poaching.

Basic poaching recipe:
2 c. water
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 sml onion thinly sliced
1 tsp. salt
3 peppercorns
2 fresh parsley sprigs
1 bay leaf

Combine all ingred in a greased frying pan & bring to boil. Reduce heat. Place fillets (cut in workable sizes)in a SINGLE LAYER into hot liquid. Cover & simmer 8-10 min or til fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Carefully remove fish to a platter.
Note: Since you are going to be continuing with the cake recipe you really don't need all those extra flavoring ingred. in the poaching water, sometimes i use em, sometimes not -- they are not crucial to the taste of the cakes & it can be a pain to pick thru all the onion slices & parsley as you are trying to flake the fish for cakes. its up to you.

When i make these cakes i sometimes double or even triple recipe & make enuf cakes to freeze for future consumption - freeze em on a cookie sheet & when frozen solid, wrap em or vacu-seal em -- store in quantities you will be using.
But if you make alot, make sure you still poach the fish in a single layer --large quantities may require a couple of poached batches (you can reuse the same poaching water)- don't try to cram it all in at once - the single layer thing is important.

The cakes also work well as a stuffing for stuffed flounder.