By Coastal Angler Staff
Featuring contemporary cuisine with a distinctive Boston accent, TAMO Bistro & Bar at the Seaport Hotel brings you the best that Boston has to offer with hand-crafted cocktails and stylishly presented food inspired by Boston’s famous ethnic neighborhoods, the bounty of New England farms and the Atlantic Ocean at its doorstep. When working on new menus and dishes, TAMO’s Chef Rob- ert Tobin is committed to incorporating as many locally-available ingredients as possible.
“We are fortunate here in New England to have so many wonderful local purveyors, and they provide us with everything from fresh, sustainably harvested fish to Norwis potatoes; we highlight many of these purveyors on our menus at the Seaport Hotel,” said Tobin. “I am always trying to eat more healthfully and with that in mind, I always like to include a number of healthier dining options on the TAMO menu. The “Chef ’s Healthy Choice” dishes are marked by a heart shaped symbol so that our guests can clearly identify these choices.”
Included as one of TAMO’s “Chef’s Healthy Choices” is the Herb Crusted Cod, caught off the coast of New England on George’s Bank, and prepared by Chef Tobin with a cranberry bean tapenade (see below for recipe) and bok choy. The Cod is simply a 7 oz. boneless and skinless filet seasoned with salt and pepper.
“Heat a sauté pan until there’s a bit of a haze when you add canola oil. Before placing the fish in the pan, the seasoning on the fish will bring out a little of its moisture, so you can press the flat side or the bloodline side of the fish into chopped herbs (parsley, chervil, tarragon, thyme), then place the fish herb side down into the oil. Cook the fish three-fourths of the way on the one side, while adjusting the temperature to avoid too much color,” said Tobin.
As for the bok choy, a vegetable being recognized more and more often for its standout nutrient richness, it is blanched in boiling water, quartered, seared in a hot pan with oil, garlic and shallot and finished with salt and pepper. The tapenade is then warmed in a little vegetable stock or water.
The tapenade is placed on the dish first, bordered with three pieces of bok choy, and finally the fish, herb side up.