|
This dark olive to dark gray recreational fish is distinguished by its thick,
fleshy lips. Found in coastal areas around rock outcroppings, breakwaters,
wrecks, and other sheltering habitat, the tautog is an extremely local fish,
moving only to slightly deeper water for the winter. The male is highly
territorial. The tautog feeds on mollusks, particularly mussels and
crustaceans. It may grow to 3 feet long and 22 pounds. Tautog occur from Nova Scotia to South Carolina and are most abundant from Cape Cod to Delaware. Although there has never been a significant commercial fishery for tautog, it is a desirable sport fish. It is usually caught by inshore charter boat fishermen in the spring and fall. CULINARY DESCRIPTION Tautog is a delicious food fish; the flesh is off-white and firm-textured. The flavor is mild, but distinctive -- often compared to red snapper. "Taug", as it's called for short, can be prepared many ways -- baked, broiled, grilled, or microwaved. A quick, simple recipe is to marinate it for 15 minutes in a ginger teriyaki sauce and then broil it for 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Or, one of my favorites is blackened tautog (but lightly). What I mean here is to use the cooking technique similar to that for blackened redfish but with fewer spices so that you don't overpower the light flavor of the tautog. Cook the fish at a very high temperature for a short time (searing in moisture) and add 1/3 to 1/2 the amount of "blackened fish" seasoning you normally would. You still need to use a well-ventilated room or the out-of-doors when cooking tautog this way, for a significant amount of smoke develops, but you have an excellent tasting dish. |
