Block Island Blue Fish Gratin

The blue fish were running while we spent time on Block Island, a small island in the northern Atlantic.  Some of the family went fishing and brought back more than we knew what to do with.  My brother in-law Glen, made a fine blue fish en pappiotte for dinner, but there was way more than the family could eat - I love leftovers.

Blue fish is a fairly robust, and slightly oily fish, and leftovers should be handled accordingly - that is, not just re-warmed, but rather cloaked with a nice sauce or dressing.

Here, we flaked the leftover bluefish and combined with carrots, dill and a creamy Bechamel sauce.  A crispy crust made with Panko combined with crushed rye crisp crackers helped brown up a bubbly casserole.
1-1/2 lb cooked bluefish fillet, skinned and cut into bite sized pieces, about 4 cups
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 Tbsp fresh dill, minced or 1 tsp dried

1/4 cup flour
2 Tbsp canola oil plus 2 Tbsp butter
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp dry mustard powder

1/4 cup panko crumbs
1 Rye Crisp cracker, crushed
Palmful fresh parsley, minced


Preheat oven to 375F.

Steam the carrots in a few tablespoons water in the microwave for about 3-5 minutes, just to soften them up a bit. Drain.

Make a Bechamel sauce by frying the flour in the oil and butter for about a 2-3 minutes. Add the ,ilk and bring to a very gentle boil, just to start thickening, whisking almost constant;y. Add the sour cream and mustard. Salt and pepper to taste. Adjust the thickness with milk if necessary to achieve a sauce that coats the back of a spoon and pours well.

Distribute fish and carrots in an oiled 9x13-inch casserole. Top with the dill.

Pour white sauce over the fish. Mix together the Panko, rye crisp and parsley and scatter over sauce.

Bake in oven for about 30 minutes, until brown and bubbly throughout.

Serves 4-6.