Mullet are often seen in large schools swimming near the surface of the water. These mullet are next to the Caladesi Ferry dock on Honeymoon Island.
When was the last time you saw fried mullet offered on a seafood restaurant menu? Or on any restaurant menu?
It’s often dismissed as too much of an acquired taste to include on the menu. Beer is pretty much an acquired taste too, but it always seems to be on the menu. So I don’t really believe that line.
Josh Salman worked up a good article in Sunday’s Bradenton Herald about local restauranteur Ed Chiles and his efforts to get mullet back in vogue–putting his mullet where his mouth is.
Chiles owns three restaurants in Manatee County–all on the islands–the Sandbar in Anna Maria, the Beach House in Bradenton Beach, and Longboat Key’s Mar Vista.
He’s incorporated mullet–fried, charbroiled or blackened–into the menu of all his restaurants and sells quite a bit of it.
I’ve eaten mullet all my life–smoked, fried, broiled–and it is a complete draw with Snook and Red Snapper as to which is my favorite. Mullet is very tasty. Just ask any Osprey.
The mullet is a fairly distinctive-looking fish--a tiny mouth, a wide, flat head, dark above and light below with a notched tail. Photo courtesy of fellow blogger and Florida-lover, Alan Davidson, over at suwanneerefugee.com
Mullet are vegetarians, grazing on sea grasses and plants like a herd of cattle. For that reason, they don’t need large mouths or much in the way of teeth. They tend to carry a lot of fat on their bodies and are a very moist, tasty fish.
Baited hooks don’t interest them, so nets are required to catch them.
Mullet caught with a single throw of a cast net on the Rod & Reel pier, Anna Maria, FL.
Back in my younger days I used to throw a net over them from the seawall of backyard canals, and from the Manatee Avenue bridge over Anna Maria Sound. They were a welcome supplement to our diet, and the price was right.
I love the fish, but never could develop a taste for the roe–fish eggs. Yuck!
When was the last time I found mullet on the menu? A couple of weeks ago in Titusville at the Dixie Crossroads restaurant. Had a nice plate of fried mullet.
Lots of folks still think a mullet is a haircut. They don’t realize it’s a fish. I think Ed Chiles is taking the right approach in putting it on the menu and educating patrons as to what a fine eating fish it is and what an important part of our local heritage is is.
Last year we were down in Matlacha (near Pine Island) and stopped in a waterfront restaurant to grab some lunch. Some ladies at a nearby table were puzzling over which fish to order. They inquired about a fish called “Basa” on the menu. The server explained that it was a mild, white-fleshed fish and was quite popular. They ordered it.
“Basa” is a Mekong River catfish imported from fish farms in Vietnam.
Wouldn’t they rather have mullet?
Ironically, as they were eating their Basa, mullet could be seen jumping in the backwater next to the restaurant within 25 feet of where we sat.
Thanks to Alan Davidson for letting me use his mullet photo. If you enjoy reading about travel in Florida, be sure to check out Alan’s blog over at The Florida Blogger.
