Westport Tautog - Sunday October 22, 2017

Capt. Jim Turner had been texting me for over a week with reports on his fishing trips out of Westport Harbor.  He and his daughter had been able to get out a few times on his boat, the Graceful Drifter to take a crack at the big Tautog known to inhabit the rocky shoals at this time of year.  The fishing was very good, with Jim’s daughter, Krissy, in particular taking some nice size Togs, but the weather limited the numbered of available fishing days.    Finally this past Sunday my work schedule and the weather lined up so I was able to join them in Westport.

I arrived at 7 am.  While still at the mooring we saw fish jumping.  I made a few casts with a brightly colored,  1/2 oz Kastmaster and caught a Hickory Shad.  On the way out we noticed lots of birds, baitfish and blitzing small Striped Bass.  We didn’t stop, but instead headed straight to the fishing grounds.  Jim put us on the spot and lowered the anchor.  After a slow start, Krissy started catching Togs using a bottom rig with whole Green Crabs.  She already had two keepers before Jim and I even caught one.  We were catching small Black Seabass and a few Scup.  I switched to using a jig baited with half a crab and that’s when my luck changed.  Pretty soon I had my limit of three, including one that measured 24 inches and weighed 8 pounds.  

The weather couldn’t have been any better.  The seas were calm, the air warm and the sky was clear. After a successful morning of Tautog fishing we decided to make a run out to Browns Ledge in of search Cod.  As we expected we found lots of Black Seabass but unfortunately no Cod.  All the bass were released because the season closed in September. On the way back to port we were thrilled and entertained by a pod of around ten dolphins that swam around the boat for a while. 

That evening I took my share of fish to a Portuguese potluck dinner.  The same friends that introduced Cynthia and I to the idea of vacationing in the Azores put on a dinner party for all of their friends who have either been to the Azores or have an interest in traveling there.  In addition to the local people, the owner of the B&B (Casa Maria de Deus) where we stayed in the Azores was there, having just flown in the day before.  Good food and stories (including some Azorean fish stories) were thoroughly enjoyed. (More info on fishing in the Azores here and here)

Here’s the recipe I used to cook the Tautog:

Pan Fried Fish Fillets with Portuguese Garlic Vinegar Sauce

Ingredients:

2 lbs fish fillets

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

10 cloves of garlic thickly cut

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 tablespoon paprika

sea salt

white pepper

(optional -1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper)

Sauce (made before hand)

1.Add olive oil to a small saucepan on medium heat.

2.When oil becomes hot add the garlic and cook until starting to brown.

3.Add vinegar. Simmer for one minute

4.Remove from heat and add parsley and paprika.

5.Season with salt and pepper

Fish

1.Cut fish into single serving size pieces.

2.Cover the bottom of a large frying pan with a thin layer of olive oil

3.Lightly sprinkle fillets with salt and pepper and place in pan when the oil gets hot.

4.Cook on both sides turning only once until fish is flaky.

5.Remove fish and pour sauce into the frying pan to reheat mixed with the fish juices. 

Presentation

1.Cover a platter with steamed kale.

2.Pour about 1/3 of the sauce over the kale.

3.Place the cooked fillets on top of the kale

4.Pour the rest of the sauce with garlic chunks over the fish.