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Cleaning Tautog
Tautog are a popular saltwater fish. They vary in size from about 12 inches to perhaps 12 lbs or more. Tautog are excellent fish to eat, having firm, white and mild flavored meat.The fish are incredibly slippery! It is best to rinse the fish thoroughly and lay them out on a rough surface such as a clean piece of plywood. A sharp fillet knife is needed to cut around the outline of the fish, making the front cut behind the head and pectoral fin. Then the skin can easily be peeled off by using pliers and peeling from the head to tail. Once the skin has been removed the fish can be filleted fish normally. The fish have a few rib bones which can be cut out after filleting. Rinse the fillets and immediately store on ice or refrigerate them. Tautog is suitable for frying, baking or grilling.
Cutting the skin behind the head of a tautog.
Continue cutting around the outline of the body.
Using pliers, begin pulling the skin towards the tail.
Continue pulling the skin off the fish.
Now fillet the tautog normally.
The finished fillets, ready to cook.
