Tautog Almondine: Fancy and Nutty

TAUTOG ALMONDINE

But first a story about tautog and the days of cement blocks...

Tautog, a fish that tastes like heaven and fights like heck. You’ll find them cruising around Nantucket Sound, where they’re harvested mostly in pots through late summer and into early fall.

Back in the day, when we were fishing the weirs, things were a little different. (For those who don’t know, a fish weir is basically a maze built from poles and nets, where fish enter and swim about until removed.) Come late spring, we’d see tautog passing through the Sound for just a few months.

The crew of the F/V Lester F Eldredge readies to enter the fish weir off of Harwich in Nantucket Sound

Our crew had a name for them: cement blocks. Because that’s what they felt like, heavy, dense, and completely unwilling to cooperate. The first time I tried to dip one out of the weir and into the boat, you’d think you were handling a rock with fins. They could grow to fifteen pounds of pure stubbornness. 

Getting them aboard was always an adventure. The kind that involved some language I can’t print here. We’d sometimes haul in three or four hundred pounds a day, and on some occasions, a couple thousand pounds. Sounds like a fortune, right? Well, we got five cents a pound for them. That’s right, a shiny nickel. And that’s if we could find a buyer at all. One day, we had to release 2,000 pounds of tautog alive because nobody wanted them.

Picture it: a hard-working fishing crew, a tautog-full weir, and fish swimming off like they’d just won the lottery. 

From Nickels to Fair Shares

Fast forward to today, and things look a whole lot different. Chatham Harvesters believe in fishing fair, fishing local, and respecting the ocean that feeds us. It’s about knowing the seasons, taking what’s abundant, and making sure the fishermen and the fish both get a fair shake.

Hooking Up: Capt Bois hauling his pots filled with black sea bass and tautog

Now, instead of five cents a pound, fishermen get the respect (and price) they deserve. We look to fishermen like Captain Bois, who sets pots in Nantucket Sound for black sea bass and tautog, catching and bringing us this delicious, firm, flavorful fish. Not for a nickel, but for a fair price that honors the work and the catch.

It’s a new chapter for the same fish, one where we still laugh about “cement blocks,” and now again we're proud to serve them up at the table. It’s about community, stewardship, and good food that tells a story.

And if you’ve never tasted tautog? Well, you’re missing out; a white-flaky sweet meat is often compared to grouper and snapper.

It’s local, sustainable, and absolutely worth its weight in something a lot better than nickels.

Tautog Almondine is a perfect way to show off that firm, sweet, white meat that this “cement block” of the sea is hiding inside. It’s classic, buttery, and fancy enough to impress without scaring the fishmonger out of you.

Here’s a Chatham Harvesters–style recipe that celebrates local fish done right:

Tautog Almondine

Ingredients (Serves 2)

For the fish:

• ½ lbs tautog fillets

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (for dusting)

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tbsp butter

For the almondine sauce:

• 3 tbsp butter

• ¼ cup sliced almonds

• Juice of ½ lemon (about 1½ tbsp)

• 1 tbsp chopped parsley

• Optional: a splash of white wine or a few capers

Directions

For the Tautog.

Tautog has a delicate, sweet flavor, so don’t over-season it. Pat the fillets dry with paper towels and lightly sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Dust with a thin coat of flour — just enough to give them a golden crust.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat until sizzling. Add the fillets and sear for about 3–4 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until golden brown and just cooked through. (You’ll know it’s perfect when it flakes easily but stays moist.) Remove fish from the pan and keep warm on a plate.

For the  Almondine Sauce.

In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sliced almonds and toast until lightly golden — about 2–3 minutes. Watch carefully so they don’t burn.

Stir in the lemon juice (and wine or capers. Let it bubble for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat and toss in the parsley.

Pour that nutty, lemony butter sauce over the tautog fillets. Serve immediately on roasted-stacked potatoes and sautéed spinach.

About the Blogger- Shareen Davis:

Shareen Davis is the Marketing and Sales Manager for Chatham Harvesters Cooperative. A true seafood enthusiast with deep, generational roots in Chatham’s fishing community, she blends her love of local flavors with her passion for sharing the stories behind the catch.