Red mullet is a real delight with a wonderful shellfish-like flavour. It gets its name from its wonderful, bright red skin, which shimmers under the light. It is a beauty to look at. It belongs to the goatfish family, and is unrelated to grey mullet. I can’t stop myself buying and cooking the fish, especially when I see a large-sized one. The bigger the fish, the better it is in terms of both taste and environmental impact.
Red mullet is often considered as “woodcock of the sea”, and fishermen often roasted it as it was, without scaling or gutting it. I would prefer to have it scaled so that the skin can crisp up. I would also gut it but please save the liver. As mentioned in my previous post, its liver is highly prized and absolutely delicious. Serving the fish with pate made from its liver works a treat. It has been said that “eating mullet without its liver is like listening to Paganini without his violin.”
Ingredients
- A fresh large-sized red mullet (about 750g), scaled and cleaned, remove and save the liver
- Plain flour for dusting
- Vegetable oil for pan frying
- 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 25g unsalted butter
- 2 kalamata or green olives, pitted
- 1 tsp capers in olive oil, drained
- 1 anchovy fillet
- 2 tbsp white wine
Instructions
- Dust the fish lightly with flour and shake off any excess. Season with salt and pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Heat oil in a pan under high heat until hot and smoky. Use enough oil to cover the pan completely with a depth of 1-2mm. Add the fish and garlic to the pan. Fry the fish for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden and crispy. Transfer the pan to the oven, and cook for another 8 minutes. Insert a meat thermometer into the fish if you have one. The internal temperature should reach 55-60°C when it is cooked.
- Remove the fish from the pan and place it on a rack to drain any excess oil.
- Peel the garlic cloves. Heat butter in a small saucier under medium heat. Add the garlic, liver and the remaining ingredients, except the white wine. Saute for a min, and then mix in the wine. Mash the liver so that it can be cooked easily and reduce the sauce a little. Transfer the mixture to a food processor, and whizz to form a rough paste.
- Place the fish on a warmed plate. Smear the pate over the top of the fish. Serve with salad/cooked vegetables, and mashed/sauteed potatoes.
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