Mullet
The mullet prefers the warm coastal waters of the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Pacific, but schools of mullet also venture into briny and fresh water. An unusual feeder, the mullet sticks its mouth into mud and filters out the particles it can consume - a practice that accounts for the muddy taste of some freshwater mullet. There are 13 genuses and 95 species in the mullet family, and it can be difficult to tell them apart. The most common species is the grey mullet.
The grey mullet has a slender body that is covered with scales. It has blue-green dorsal skin and silvery sides. It is usually between 30 - 40 centimetres long but can grow to a maximum length of 1 metre. It has a short, flat head and a small mouth filled with short, tightly spaced teeth.
To freeze mullet, first remove the dark layer of flesh running along the midline of both sides. This dark flesh does not keep well. When well-wrapped, mullet can be frozen for up to two months in a refrigerator freezer and for three to four months in a deep-freeze.
Use lined freezer paper, and wrap fish tightly from head to tail with at least two layers of paper. To thaw slowly, unwrap, place fish in pan, cover, and leave for 24 hours in the refrigerator. To thaw more quickly, place the whole fish (wrapped in a watertight bag) in a sink with cool running water, allowing about 30 minutes per 500g. For fastest thawing, use the defrost cycle of your microwave, allowing 2 to 5 minutes per 500g, with equal standing time in between zaps (as one minute defrost to one minute resting).
To remove the head, cut the flesh on both sides with a knife. If the fish is small, slice directly through the spine. For a larger fish, place knife between vertebrae and tap the back of the knife with a hammer.
To bone and butterfly, remove belly fins with scissors and slice off the dorsal and anal fins. Slit open belly cavity and use scissors to cut through ribs on both sides of the backbone. Using a sharp knife, scrape flesh away from the backbone. Slide knife under rib bones and lift them off. Check to make sure all no tiny rib bones remain.
Before cooking, always remove the dark flesh lying directly below the lateral line. The lateral line is a string of tiny holes with nerve connections sensitive to vibrations in the water. It is often visible as a dark line running along both sides of the fish.
Baking
Place mullet in a greased baking dish, or wrap in oiled foil and place on a baking sheet. Brush with melted butter or oil and season with salt and pepper, or cover with a sauce. Bake in a preheated 230°C oven.
Char Grilling/BBQ
Place whole small fish directly on a greased barbecue grill, 10 to 15cm above prepared coals or fire. Baste with butter, oil, or marinade and close hood of the barbecue. Cook until fish is opaque and moist on the inside, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Pan-Frying
Coat mullet with seasoned flour, crumbs, or cornmeal. Shake off any extra coating and fry in a small amount of hot butter or oil, turning once halfway through cooking time. Cook until opaque and moist on the inside, about 4 to 8 minutes.
Poaching
Bring poaching liquid, consisting of water, broth, and herbs and spices, to a simmer. Slip in the mullet, then cover pan and keep liquid at a simmer for about 8 minutes per 2.5cm of thickness.
Steaming
Place mullet on a perforated rack over 2.5 to 5cm of rapidly boiling water. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and keep water at a constant boil through cooking time, about 8 minutes for each 2.5cm of thickness.
Mullet Fillet
The grey mullet has a slender body that is covered with scales. It has blue-green dorsal skin and silvery sides. It is usually between 30 - 40 centimetres long but can grow to a maximum length of 1 metre. It has a short, flat head and a small mouth filled with short, tightly spaced teeth.
Buying
Quality mullet is easy to recognize. Fresh mullet never smells fishy, and the eyes should appear bright and clear, almost alive. The gills should be clean and the skin moist and with tightly adhering, shiny scales. Fresh mullet flesh will give slightly when you press it with a finger, then spring back into shape. When choosing mullet steaks or fillets, whether they're fresh or previously frozen, look for moist, translucent (never dried out) flesh. Keep mullet cool on the trip from the market to your house. Never let it stay unrefrigerated for long.Storage
To store mullet, remove packaging, rinse fish under cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Fish deteriorates when it sits in its own juices, so place it on a cake rack in a shallow pan filled with crushed ice. Cover with cling wrap or foil and set in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Mullet will store well this way for up to two days.To freeze mullet, first remove the dark layer of flesh running along the midline of both sides. This dark flesh does not keep well. When well-wrapped, mullet can be frozen for up to two months in a refrigerator freezer and for three to four months in a deep-freeze.
Use lined freezer paper, and wrap fish tightly from head to tail with at least two layers of paper. To thaw slowly, unwrap, place fish in pan, cover, and leave for 24 hours in the refrigerator. To thaw more quickly, place the whole fish (wrapped in a watertight bag) in a sink with cool running water, allowing about 30 minutes per 500g. For fastest thawing, use the defrost cycle of your microwave, allowing 2 to 5 minutes per 500g, with equal standing time in between zaps (as one minute defrost to one minute resting).
Preparing
Scale the fish by placing it in the sink under cold running water. Grasp fish firmly by the gills and scrape off scales with a fish scaler or small, dull knife. Using short strokes, work from the tail to the head.To remove the head, cut the flesh on both sides with a knife. If the fish is small, slice directly through the spine. For a larger fish, place knife between vertebrae and tap the back of the knife with a hammer.
To bone and butterfly, remove belly fins with scissors and slice off the dorsal and anal fins. Slit open belly cavity and use scissors to cut through ribs on both sides of the backbone. Using a sharp knife, scrape flesh away from the backbone. Slide knife under rib bones and lift them off. Check to make sure all no tiny rib bones remain.
Before cooking, always remove the dark flesh lying directly below the lateral line. The lateral line is a string of tiny holes with nerve connections sensitive to vibrations in the water. It is often visible as a dark line running along both sides of the fish.
Cooking
Mullet can be cooked in any number of ways. Small mullet do not have to be gutted before they are cooked. The secret to successful mullet cookery is to not overcook. Whichever of the following cooking methods you choose, your mullet will be cooked when its flesh becomes opaque, but is still moist and can easily be pierced with a fork.Baking
Place mullet in a greased baking dish, or wrap in oiled foil and place on a baking sheet. Brush with melted butter or oil and season with salt and pepper, or cover with a sauce. Bake in a preheated 230°C oven.
Char Grilling/BBQ
Place whole small fish directly on a greased barbecue grill, 10 to 15cm above prepared coals or fire. Baste with butter, oil, or marinade and close hood of the barbecue. Cook until fish is opaque and moist on the inside, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Pan-Frying
Coat mullet with seasoned flour, crumbs, or cornmeal. Shake off any extra coating and fry in a small amount of hot butter or oil, turning once halfway through cooking time. Cook until opaque and moist on the inside, about 4 to 8 minutes.
Poaching
Bring poaching liquid, consisting of water, broth, and herbs and spices, to a simmer. Slip in the mullet, then cover pan and keep liquid at a simmer for about 8 minutes per 2.5cm of thickness.
Steaming
Place mullet on a perforated rack over 2.5 to 5cm of rapidly boiling water. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and keep water at a constant boil through cooking time, about 8 minutes for each 2.5cm of thickness.
Using
Mullet can be eaten hot or cold and is particularly flavourful when smoked. Its eggs are delicious; dried, pressed; salted mullet roe is used to make boulargue, one of the most popular dishes in the Provence region of France. Mullet roe is also the key ingredient in the Greek dish taramasalata, a creamy, flavourful pink paste.Other Notes
Mullet Fillet
First Principles Cookbook