Red Mullet
Red mullet is a light pink fish, with a firm, white flesh. Red mullet is found in the Mediterranean, North Atlantic Ocean, and the Black Sea.
IN SEASON
September – December
CATCH METHOD
Gill and trammel nets
ABOUT THE FISH
Red Mullet
Despite the similar name, red mullet is only distantly related to grey mullet and other mullet species. While their season runs from September to December, they are sometimes caught in the shoulder seasons, running from as early as August to as late as March.
The high fat content of red mullet leads to it packing a good punch flavour-wise. This helps it stand up to bold flavour pairings, such as chilli and garlic.
LOW-IMPACT CATCH METHODS
Nets, rod and line
In Jersey, red mullet are often caught through the use of gill and trammel nets but are also occasionally caught using rod and line.
Red mullet can be a tricky fish to catch, requiring reasonable enough weather conditions to cast nets in. The waters that the nets are cast in also need to be relatively free of seaweed or even spider crabs. Add to this that they aren’t easily caught in the frequently used mesh size of nets, and you yourself have a tricky fish to land. As a result, these are not frequent visitors to our market shelves, but are truly delicious, so our suggestion is if you see some available, act fast and snap it up!
Red Mullet Dishes
We head into the kitchen at Samphire, St. Helier, where head chef Tommy Radiguet shows us the best way to prep a delicious red mullet dish. He came up with this bbqed red mullet with frisée, chorizo and veg.
The best part? Sea to plate in under 24 hours!
