It’s a great fish, and I’m excited whenever I’m able to bring Tautog home, whole or filleted.

• a one-pound fillet of the excellent Tautog (known in New York as ‘Blackfish’) from Pura Vida Fisheries, prepared along the lines of this recipe by Caroline Rossock, using sage from Stokes Farm and halved Kalamata olives from Whole Foods, finishing with organic lemon, also from Whole Foods [since Syria is currently a disaster zone, for the Aleppo pepper I substituted a 50/50 mix of an excellent cayenne pepper and a good dulce paprika]
• fresh watercress from Lucky Dog Organic, dressed only in a good olive oil, with Maldon salt, and some freshly-ground Telicherry pepper
• wild rice, remaining from a meal enjoyed earlier in the week, livened up with a few chopped ramps which had been sautéed in olive oil beforehand
• the wine was a French (Aude) white, Albarino Lagrasse  Laurent Miquel 2014
• the music was Timo Andres’ extraordinary album, ‘Home Stretch’, with work of Andres, Mozart, and Eno, with Andres everywhere (you’ll probably want to read the album notes); noting here that the release of the album in 2013 was celebrated at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe!