Red mullets
JULIUS Caesar was perhaps the most prominent admirer of the small fish of the Mare Nostrum: he kept the delicious red mullets in cages of seawater in order to always have fresh fish. The ‘salmonetes’, as they are called in Spain, were first written about by Pliny the Elder, and the first recipes appeared in the cookbook of Apicius, the most famous work of Roman cuisine at that time.
These small Mediterranean fish have always been as popular as they are today. However, they could never be bred in aquaculture like salmon because they grow too slowly, which is not very profitable.
A distinction must be made between the smaller, tastier ‘salmonetes de roca’, red striped mullet (Mullus surmuletus) of a strong reddish, shiny colour, also with dark stripes, which live between rocks and sand, and the lighter red mullet ‘salmonete de fang’ (Mullus barbatus) with less firm flesh.
The rule when buying fish is that it must be fresh. In the case of salmonete, this is vital as it loses its good qualities too quickly. Therefore the more intense and shinier the colour of its scales, the fresher the mullet.
The best time for mullets is between May and August, and as a refrain says in Cataluña, where they are also called ‘rogers’, they are to be consumed as fresh as possible, namely according to the motto: fish, fry, eat. They are very versatile: you can pull them through flour and fry them or bake them in the oven. The fillets can be combined with all kinds of ingredients: with rice or in a fish stew with potatoes. And above all, they make an excellent stock, which is why they are often found in the socalled ‘morralla’ tray of miscellaneous fish for stock at the supermarket.
However, since they are very small, you should pay close attention to the cooking time, as they can easily become too firm. It is also advisable to prepare them at room temperature first and not immediately out of the fridge.
And mullets that are too small are not suitable for some dishes, because they can have too many bones.
If you want to stuff the mullets, you can do so with vegetables or even narrow strips of Iberian ham. In any case, they are cooked gently in the paper wrapping, while in the sophisticated dishes they are accompanied by a sauce of black olives or basil.
The best way to prepare them, however, is the simplest: grill them or roast in the oven, season with a few herbs or add a very simple, light vegetable sauce.
Roasted mullets
For 4 people: 1 kg of redstriped mullet (salmonetes de roca), 5 anchovy fillets in olive oil, 1 clove of garlic, olive oil, sherry vinegar, fine salt, coarse salt and pepper.
Clean the mullet, but do not scale them, so that the fish remain protected during roasting.
Cover the oven rack with a piece of aluminium foil (shiny side down). Heat for a few minutes at a high temperature.
Take out the aluminium foil and spread out the fish, previously sprinkled with coarse salt, on it. Return to the oven and roast under the grill for four minutes.
Remove the mullets, turn them over and grill from the other side. Meanwhile, prepare a sauce: Grind the anchovy fillets and garlic in a mortar, add a little salt to make it easier to grind; you want it to be a homogeneous mass.
Add a little vinegar and pepper, then add oil, stirring as you would with mayonnaise. Serve the mullet with the anchovy sauce.
Mullets in paper
For 4 people: 4 ready-to-cook mullets (salmonetes), 1 lemon, 1 carrot, 1 leek, 1 stalk of celery (apio), 2 spring onions, 100 g butter, 100 g anchovies, 2 tbsp oil, pepper.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Wash and clean the vegetables, taking only the white part of the leek. Chop everything very finely.
Clean the anchovies under running water (remove salt and bones). Drain
them and
mash them with a fork in a deep dish. Mix with the butter and store in the fridge.
Cut four rectangular pieces of parchment paper and place a mullet on each. Spread the finely chopped vegetables on top, drizzle with oil and top with the finely sliced lemon. Season with a little pepper and close the parchment paper tightly. Cook in the oven for about 25 minutes.
Then take out and wait for about three minutes, then open carefully. Arrange on plates and serve with the anchovy butter.
Tip: Leave the desalted anchovy fillets to soak in milk or dry white wine for half an hour before serving.
Marinated mullets with green gazpacho
For 4 people: 4 mullets (salmonetes), 150 to 200 g each, fillets and bones removed) For the marinade 1 carrot 1 onion, 2 bay leaves, 6 peppercorns, thyme, salt, 1 wine glass vinegar, 1 wine glass water, 1 glass white wine, 1 glass oil.
Gazpacho: 100 g white bread crumb, 1 clove of garlic, 1 small green pepper, 1 small cucumber, 1 egg yolk, 100 g young spinach leaves, salt, 3 tbsp vinegar, 1 wine glass olive oil. For the marinade, slice the carrot and onion and simmer for 20 minutes with the bay leaf, peppercorns, a sprig of thyme, vinegar, oil, white wine, salt and the water. Place the mullets in a deep ovenproof dish, pour the marinade over them, bring to the boil once and then leave to rest for 24 hours.
For the gazpacho, beat the egg yolk and vinegar in a blender, slowly add the oil and gradually add the white bread, chopped garlic, chopped pepper, the peeled, sliced cucumber and the cleaned or already clean spinach leaves. Season with salt. Serve the mullets on a bed of gazpacho, basted with the marinade.