Red mullet fish is found off the east coast of the Atlantic Ocean. The largest herds roam in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Due to these circumstances, red mullet fish was well known to the ancient Greeks, Phoenicians and other peoples who inhabited this region. In the descriptions of culinary masterpieces that the noble Romans of the era of the decline of the empire so loved to indulge, dishes from this fish are also mentioned.
Already then gourmets appreciated the taste of a small appetizing fish. Smallest herds of red mullet are found near the Canary and
Azores, off the coast of
foggy Albion, one of its subspecies can be caught even here in the Baltic.
Red mullet fish is found exclusively in the coastal zone, never swimming far from the coast. In the open sea, she has nothing to do, as she feeds on small benthic invertebrates - mollusks, crustaceans, and so on, and rarely plunges into the oceanic bowels, preferring depths of up to thirty meters. And only for spawning it falls a little lower - up to fifty meters.
The largest specimens reach a length of just over thirty centimeters, and the most common fish size is from twenty to twenty-five. There are few bones in it, so cooking a mullet is a pleasure. Modern gourmets value fish no less than antique, so the cost of the delicacy is maintained at a fairly high level. True, hardly anyone can, like the Romans,
buy the largest copies worth its weight in silver (literally). Here it is - red mullet fish. You can buy a kilogram of frozen fish today for about three hundred and fifty rubles. Directly on the Black Sea coast, you may agree with the fishermen about a lower price, but it is unlikely to be very different.
The fishing of red mullet has its own nuances. Considering that the fish leads a near-bottom lifestyle, the most common tackle for catching it is a donka with a hook of the fifth or seventh size. As a nozzle for catching mullet, the worm Nereis, Mormysh or finely chopped meat of fresh fish is used. Some fishermen use crushed mussels for bait.
Red mullet fish prefers muddy or sandy soil. Moving above the very bottom, she feels the soil with her long antennae, looking for food. Fish spawns from May to August, reaching puberty at the age of two.
In one season of spawning, the female can sweep up to eighty-eight thousand eggs in a few “calls”. In the first year of life, red mullet reaches a size of up to twelve centimeters, and only late-litter fry grow much less. The life span of the red mullet is up to twelve years.
Mullet got such an unusual name from the Turkish word “beard”. Obviously, because of its long antennae, hanging down like a beard. She has a second, unofficial name - the Sultan. Our Black Sea has many symbols, one of them, without a doubt - red mullet fish. Photos of this small marine delicacy adorn the walls of coastal cafes, photo exhibition stands and fishing enthusiast sites. So, be fruitful, fish - we are happy!