Grey Mullet: A Delicious Treasure from the Ocean

Grey mullet, scientifically known as Mugil cephalus, is an active fish that prefers to inhabit estuaries and harbors, and can even live in freshwater. They are adaptable to a variety of environments, including freshwater, brackish water, and marine waters.

Grey mullet are widely distributed, found in temperate to tropical waters. Every winter, they spawn in the waters near Taiwan, producing an astonishing number of eggs, with each fish producing between 2.9 million and 7.2 million eggs. These eggs are the raw material for the prized ingredient "mullet roe." 

Adult mullet feed on diatoms and other organisms that live on the surface of the sand and mud, which is one of the reasons why their meat is so delicious. Mullet is farmed in Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Tianjin and other places in mainland China, as well as in Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures in Japan. Mullet is also farmed in Israel and Italy.

The month around the winter solstice on the lunar calendar marks the long-awaited mullet season for fishermen. Mullets, known for their trustworthiness and their appearance in winter, are affectionately called "faithful fish." Ancient texts also contain numerous records of mullets. For example, Ming Dynasty medical scientist Li Shizhen praised them in his Compendium of Materia Medica: "Mullets are named after their black color, but the Cantonese people misinterpreted them as 'fish fry.' Mullets are native to the East China Sea and resemble black carp. Some are over a foot long, their roe full in the belly, rich in yellow fat and delicious. Otters love to eat them, and the Wu and Yue people consider them a delicacy, pickling them into mullet jelly. The meat is sweet, mild, and non-toxic, stimulating the appetite and benefiting the five internal organs, making them fat and healthy and compatible with all medicines."

Grey mullet has delicious meat, rich in fat and plump. The male mullet's testes (commonly known as mullet roe or mullet maw), the female mullet's ovaries (commonly known as mullet roe), and the mullet's stomach (commonly known as mullet gizzard) are all excellent dishes to enjoy with alcohol. Mullet roe used to be a well-known delicacy, but in recent years, the value of fish maw has skyrocketed, surpassing even mullet roe.

Tip: To enjoy delicious grey mullet, visit the market around the month before and after the Lunar Winter Solstice. During this time, the mullet is at its plumpest and a surefire delight!