Captain Bois set his pots and landed some beautiful tautog from Nantucket Sound, aligning perfectly with Chatham Harvesters' commitment to sustainable fishing practices. We decided to prepare a straightforward recipe featuring lightly panko-crusted tautog paired with ratatouille-style vegetables.
Tautog is regarded as a delicious catch, offering a flavor profile similar to red snapper.
Interestingly, there’s some debate over the pronunciation of tautog—whether it’s ‘TUT tog’ or ‘tut TOG.’ To keep things simple and focus on enjoying the fish's sweetness, most people just call it “tog.”
RECIPE
Tautog with Ratatouille-style Vegetables
For the vegetables:
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium yellow squash, sliced into half-moons
2 medium zucchini, sliced into half-moons
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (or 2 cups diced fresh tomatoes)
4 cups kale, stems removed and chopped
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1 lemon (optional, for brightness)
Instructions:
In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once hot, add the diced onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute. Then, add the yellow squash and zucchini. Sauté for about 5-7 minutes until they start to soften.
Add the halved cherry tomatoes to the skillet. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes until they start to break down and release their juices.
Stir in the chopped kale and cook until wilted, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the tarragon, and season with salt and pepper to taste. If desired, squeeze in some lemon juice for added brightness.
Remove from heat, cover and set aside.
Feel free to adjust the quantities and seasonings to your taste!
For the Tautog:
Ingredients
1 pound of Chatham Harvesters tautog filets
1/2 cup of Panko
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, finely grated
Salt and Pepper
1 T oil for cooking
1 T butter
Directions
Mix panko and parmesan in a shallow bowl
Salt and pepper the Tautog on both sides
Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in a heavy frying pan on medium heat
Dip fish in panko/ parmesan mixture, shake off excess
Carefully place fish in the pan to fry, cooking: 3-5 minutes on each side.
Remove from pan when the fish's internal temperature is 145 F degrees
Build your dish:
Place vegetables on a platter. Layer the fish on top, and sprinkle with extra parmesan and chopped herbs if desired.
As a note: Tautog makes a great fish chowder. Look for our recipe on this blog in the coming weeks.
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