Mullet Fish in album fish
Jul 30th, 2011, by Alex Zorach
This photo shows mullets (fish, not the haircuts). Mullet can refer to a number of different fish of the Mulgidae family; I do not know what particular species this one is, but it is the only type of fish I have ever seen for sale on the east coast of the U.S. under the name "Mullet". My guess is that this is striped mullet These fish were for sale at Wan's Seafood in the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, for $2.49 a pound. At the very right of the picture, a couple mackerel are showing.
I do not like mullet. I find them to be a nuisance to prepare and eat. They are a rather bloody fish and cleaning them is messier than other fish of similar size. They contain numerous small bones and it is hard to cleanly remove all the bones. I also do not like the taste: they have a sort of deep, meaty and earthy taste, which reminds me a little bit of catfish caught in muddy streams. This said, there are several reasons to eat this fish:
- It is really cheap. I regularly see mullet for sale for $2.49 a pound. This is about as cheap as it gets, especially for a fish of this size.
- It is highly sustainable. Seafood Watch's page on Striped Mullet denotes striped mullet as a best choice ecologically, because it is short-lived, matures quickly, and is caught by methods that cause minimal bycatch or damage to habitat.
- It is contaminant free. EDF's fact page on Striped Mullet, which also lists it as an Eco-Best choice, lists this fish as having no issues with contaminants, which is likely due to its short lifespan.
When I cook mullet, because I do not like the flavor, I tend to douse it heavily in lime juice and chili sauce after serving it.