During most of my weekend market forays in Cavite City one or two fish vendors have slices of blue marlin, whose delicate white flesh is among my favorites in the world. I don't buy often, though, since its cost per kilo is usually double that of the more common fish, and if I stick to my budget we'd run out of fish to cook midway into the week.
And it is just right, for it feels sinful to be frequently indulging in its luscious, succulent flesh. So I buy only for special occasions, or when there had been the same offerings for weeks in a row, just to break the monotony.
I love blue marlin with lemon-butter and crispy garlic. About a fourth of a bar of good-quality butter (approximately 50 grams) is melted, then mixed with the juice of one lemon. This is good for one kilo of fish - thinly sliced and grilled, then seasoned with salt and pepper. The lemon-butter is poured on the cooked fish, then sprinkled with crisply fried minced garlic, a home-made bottle of which I always have in stock.
When the blue marlin is particularly fresh I slice it into small cubes and steam - my preferred mode of cooking as it results in buttery-soft morsels that tastes almost orgasmic, and a thousand times tastier than the most delicious pork dish. The same lemon-butter is doused on the cubes and topped with garlic.
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these ideas for meatless days of lent are very helpful.
ReplyDeletei have yet to see blue marlin on offer where i shop. and if it did, it's likely to cost upwards of $20/lb. but i think i might try your lemon butter garlic sauce. the jar of crisply fried garlic is a great idea as well.
-lou
The lemon-butter is good on any fine-textured fish, like fried sole, tanigue, even cod I imagine, and baked or broiled salmon. Tilapia, too, and fried bangus!
ReplyDeleteI maintain a bottle of fried minced garlic at home (as well as chili-garlic oil) because we sprinkle it on almost everything. Steamed and fried rice, vegetable sautes, adobo, liver stew, arroz caldo, misua, mami, lomi, pancit. So if you happen to come across a group of people with garlic breath, you'll know that's me and and my family!