Saturday, June 4, 2011

on the subject of the Blue Runner, a humble and unadorned fish

The blue runner (Caranx crysos), also called the hardtail, is pretty much the ultimate hook and line trash fish. Caught by fishermen targeting red and vermilion snappers, blue runners on occasion shoal up and are caught in large numbers, but no commercial fisherman wants this, because blue runners (if they can be sold at all) usually go for next to nothing at the dock. They are, as I have been told countless times, bait, not food.

Yet I have talked to folks from India to Turkey to Thailand to Guatemala to Morocco to England who praise the blue runner and its closely related kin, Caranx tille and Caranx caballus. Blue runners are small, with flesh that looks like albacore tuna more than anything else. In taste, they are more like a strong mackerel or even a herring.
It is definitely what folks would call a 'fishy' fish, and certainly could never pass for white fish. Unfortunately, due to its high oil content, assertive taste, and prominent bloodline, it can't really fill in for amberjack, mahi, tuna, or any of the other 'steak' fish. Does this mean, though, that there is no place at the table, so to speak, for the blue runner? Certainly not.

These days, there is a growing appreciation of more assertive and unfamiliar flavors, not just in fish but all foodstuffs, which is really just a return to the tastes of a few generations before. This is a positive development, because there are frankly too many people stomping around on the earth for any nutritional foodstuff to be branded as unpalatable or taboo. On the other hand, no foodstuff should be considered sacred- we would all do a lot better eating differently. But I digress somewhat. There is also a growing understanding of the need to make certain choices in consumption. When choosing a fish, more and more (though not enough) people pay attention to the origin, species, and sustainability. Again, another positive development. Bearing all this in mind, we come back to the blue runner. Let's take a different look at this.

The runner is, like I said, mackerel-y. With the current vogue for preserving (through pickling, curing, brining, smoking, canning, etc) both in restaurants and home kitchens, the runner seems perfect. Not only tasty, but frugal as well. Basically anything done to oily fish can be done, with some modifications to the blue runner, and always with good results. Fishiness aside, it is also great fresh.

On the sustainability side, blue runners are very abundant in the Gulf. They grow and mature fast, and reach maximum fecundity quickly as well. They are prodigious and continuous spawners, which means they reproduce all year, which would of course help them to withstand fishing pressures. On top of that, plankton apparently forms a large part of the diet of adult runners, which places them on a lower trophic level, which is also a good thing (lower level fish are considered more sustainable wild harvest choices).

Now that we've established the possibility that blue runners are worthy for the table, allow me to share a few ways in which they taste pretty good. I like strong fish flavors, my wife is an absolute connoisseur, and our kids have happily acquired the taste as well, so for us, the blue runner is a natural fit. We use it scaled and steaked in curries of course, sometimes we'll poach the whole fish then pick the meat for blue runner salad.

The other weekend, a bunch of runners had come in, and I took a bunch home. We spent the better part of the weekend preparing fish. My wife poached fillets (bloodline in) along with green chiles, whole shallot, garlic, and green Thai eggplants. The whole mix was then pounded in a mortar until all was pureed, then garnished with boiled eggs.
Called soop mah-kheua, the dish is usually prepared with pla dtu, a salted and dried Indian Mackerel.
My wife pronounced the blue runner substitution perfect. We cut some fresh runner into strips, marinated them briefly in soy sauce, then sun-dried them for the better part of the day. The strips (which at this point resembled dried beef) were then grilled over a hot fire.
We also salted fillets (adding to the salt some flavors from our backyard- galanga, makrut leaf, lemongrass, and turmeric), let them sit in the sun for a day, then brined them over night in lime juice, water, and coriander. The next day we smoked the fillets for about 2 hours. I had filleted a couple of fish for the kids (which were grilled), and so decided to marinate the bloodlines in soy sauce with garlic and sesame. They were then grilled, with considerable success. All of this we gorged on that night with sticky rice and a ridiculously pungent sauce my wife made with shrimp paste.

Later on, we canned a bit in olive oil, and have been enjoying the results ever since, as we have the roes, which were smoked, then crumbled to add to sauces and salads.



The point of all this that the blue runner deserves it place. Any fish this versatile merits some respect. But don't take my word for it. I recently had the opportunity to provide some of these fish to Justin Yu for one of his dinners, and his preparation (involving curing and brining) truly made the runner a noble fish. The fellows at Feast have always like the blue runner, and still buy it every time it is available. Just a few moments ago, a co-worker from south India came up to me and, patting his belly, waxed poetic about the blue runner he ate this weekend. The next time you see some (whether in the water or on ice), try them out. No matter which way you look at it, they are a good choice.

17 comments:

  1. A blog you will like sir. Check especially the pictures from Thailand

    http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/blog/
    Hot stuff

    ReplyDelete
  2. great blog! keep it coming!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Abundanty caught on fishing piers in Florida. They are a good fish on the table and they are very hard fighters even with their size. Thanks for the blog.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Just caught some today here in Fl. Thanks for the info!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Just caught some today here in Fl. Thanks for the info!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have a large amount of freshly-caught blue runners right now! I have also had great success in salting them and then preserving in oil.

    What kind of smoker do you have?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Just caught three at the lake worth pier in Florida, was going to soak them in milk overnight then cook them, but I think I will try your idea of smoking them instead. Smoked blue fish is good and smoked mackerel is awesome, so now I will try smoked blue runner.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am like most everyone, I do not like blue runner cooked in conventional ways, it's a bit nasty. As a person who fishes I have caught them and tried them a few times years ago and decided they make good bait but not good food. But below I discuss some recent successes inspired by info from this professor fish heads blog.

    In reference to my above comment from Nov 27th I ended up making tuna fish from my blue runners last year. I guess a more correct term would be blue runner salad. After removing the meat from the bones I boiled the fish meat for about 5 minuets or less, then mixed it with mayonnaise, mustard, salt, pepper, and a little relish, it turned out to be the best and freshest tasting "tuna fish" I ever had.

    I also sautéed some in a pan with brown sugar and Ponzo sauce I guess soy sauce would have worked the same, it came out very good and sweet just like sweet and sour chicken or glazed Asian chicken. Nothing like a blue runner taste.

    A week ago I caught about a dozen from a boat in the Florida Keys so last night I filleted and smoked them in a smoker for about 2 or 3 hours on very low heat. I tasted some and it was very good, none of than typical nasty blue runner taste.

    Today I took some of the same smoked fish and made fish spread using a online recipe involving mayo, sour cream, pepper, old bay seasoning, and a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and it came out fairly good but not as good as the tuna. If I actually had experience making smoked fish dip it would likely have come out great.

    In all the above cases I removed the blood line from the side of the fish, this is the bloody looking gummy flesh from the fishes lateral line region.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for the valuable information and insights you have so provided here...
    camping aan het water

    ReplyDelete
  10. I catch hardtail in Florida all summer and I like them. I lightly seasoned and pan fried some side by side with spanish mackerel (both freshly caught that day) and to me, the hardtail tasted much better. My cats also like them fresh caught as sushi.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love new stuff. Thanks so much! How about s fla houndfish?? Heard good ceviche.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks for the Great Blog Professor.
    All of my family loves fish done the original way. Not fancy stuff. Just as our fathers and grandfathers used to do.
    We caught 22 Blue Runners at the De Soto Pier near St Pete beach. 10 of them got grilled whole on the same day (That is what I call Fresh Fish for dinner) Then used the rest of them to do a SAVOUR. which is a Mediterranean style Pickled Fish.
    Recipe : Filet them ,lightly fry them take off the skin, and then layer them in a deep dish with a previously prepared sauce made from sauteed onions,white wine, a touch of white winegar, fresh parsley salt pepper, pinch of garlic and virgin olive oil. At the end, each layer is sprinkled with fresh lemon juice and fresh rosemary sprig or two. Cover the dish with plastic wrap tightly and leave in the refrigerator of at least 24 hours. I know it takes some work but you will be rewarded when you start to enjoy them. It can be kept in the refrigerator for more than a week.
    have a great fishing day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm the fishing buddy of John R. We love the blue runner and are lucky enough to live next door to John, who prepares the fish on the grill and all we do is enjoy the feast. It is terrible to see the many fisherman get a frown on their face when the see a Blue Runner coming up out of the water on their line. Then the take it and throw it back into the water. Sometimes when you see this happen, you say, "catch anymore and I'll take them". If you love fish, fishing and fresh grilled then you must add the Blue Runner to your take home catch or throw them my way please;).

      Delete
  13. My husband caught blue runners on a commercial fishing boat. He brought the fillets home and I dredged them in Progresso's Italian style breadcrumbs with some grated Parmesan cheese that was added to the mixture.I sauteed them in Bertolli's Extra Virgin Olive Oil for a few minutes on each side. They were NOT oily tasting nor had an oily texture. Cooked this way they were a very mild tasting fish, not having a heavy fishy taste at all. Light and delicious! I am told that the blood muscle or vein down the center should be removed to have a better taste and that is why I cook them filleted.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I ate them a few days ago as sashimi and they were AMAZING! Not fishy at all! I bled the fish right away and iced them down well. Most misunderstood fish in the ocean.

    ReplyDelete
  15. As a retired military man, I've been to many Asian countries, and eaten the food in every one that I visited.
    I've also fished in EVERY one too, including Vietnam.
    What the majority of Americans call "trash", I usually smile and let it fly.
    Since living in Fl, and in the S/Western states, I've seen people from northern states, where I am originally from, catch fish, and then either let them lay on a hot deck / dock, or on a stringer in warm water.
    Then they claim the fish was bad.
    ~~ No foolin. they were bad?
    surprise?
    Not scolding, just stating a fact...
    my point is~~Try it ya might like it, but don't let it rot BEFORE ya even take it home or clean it!
    Good day to all, and thanks all for the new tips / info!

    ReplyDelete
  16. How Mr Benjamin Lee service  grant me a loan!!!

    Hello everyone, I'm Lea Paige Matteo from Zurich Switzerland and want to use this medium to express gratitude to Mr Benjamin service for fulfilling his promise by granting me a loan, I was stuck in a financial situation and needed to refinance and pay my bills as well as start up a Business. I tried seeking for loans from various loan firms both private and corporate organisations but never succeeded and most banks declined my credit request. But as God would have it, I was introduced by a friend named Lisa Rice to this funding service and undergone the due process of obtaining a loan from the company, to my greatest surprise within 5 working days just like my friend Lisa, I was also granted a loan of $216,000.00 So my advise to everyone who desires a loan, "if you must contact any firm with reference to securing a loan online with low interest rate of 1.9% rate and better repayment plans/schedule, please contact this funding service. Besides, he doesn't know that am doing this but due to the joy in me, I'm so happy and wish to let people know more about this great company whom truly give out loans, it is my prayer that GOD should bless them more as they put smiles on peoples faces. You can contact them via email on { 247officedept@gmail.com} or Text through Whatsapp +1-989 394 3740.  

    ReplyDelete