Illustration by Katie McBride
HISTORY
Puffed up and pretty mean looking, the sugar toad has every right to be defensive. Maligned for its appearance for decades, it’s saddled with a name that makes diners think twice, whether it’s called a sugar toad or a blow toad. In nature, the northern puffer fish inflates its body to ward off enemies, while its lack of physical charms keeps some would-be eaters at bay. For decades, the plentiful puffers were used as fertilizer, but in recent years, the fish, which has also answered to the name “sea squab,” has become a fixture on menus all along the southeast coast. Beauty is only skin deep after all, and just below the puffer fish’s rough, spotted skin waits a mildly sweet flesh that plates up beautifully.
WHAT TO BUY
As with any fish, remember: clear eyes, clean gills — can’t lose. Have your fishmonger take care of removing the head, trimming the fins and peeling away the outer membranes — tedious task work that’s best left to the pros. Fresh, cleaned sugar toads should be cooked within a day or two of purchasing.
HOW TO PREPARE
Often called the chicken wing of the sea, sugar toads take well to frying, and they beg for fun dipping sauces, from Buffalo to ranch to a sesame-soy glaze. Here, Chef Randall Doetzer of Nota Bene simply and quickly grills the fish, drizzling them with a bright, buttery sauce to finish.
Grilled Sugar Toads With Garlic Anchovy Butter
Serves 4
By Randall Doetzer, Nota Bene
12 fresh sugar toads, cleaned
2 ounces quality olive oil, plus a little bit for grilling
4 ounces butter
4 anchovy fillets
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 lemons, juiced, and more sliced into wedges for garnish
Salt and crushed red pepper, to taste
Flake salt, to taste, for garnish
Drizzle a bit of oil on the sugar toads to coat, then season with a fine-grained sea salt.
Heat the grill to a high heat and make sure the grates are very well cleaned or you have a perforated grilling pan.
Prepare the sauce by finely mincing the garlic and anchovies into almost a paste. Add the olive oil and butter to the sauté pan with the garlic-and-anchovy paste and set it aside until you’re ready to finish.
Set the sugar toads fin side down on the grill, and don’t move them for a couple minutes so they brown. Check the temperature near the spine with a thermometer; they should read about 130 degrees Fahrenheit when you remove them from the grill.
Start the butter, olive oil, anchovies and garlic on medium-high heat until the butter foams. Add the sugar toads and lemon juice into the butter with your preferred amount of red pepper and cut the heat. Tear up your parsley and add it to the warm mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to a warm plate and finish with some large flake salt and lemon wedges. Serve with a crusty bread.
