The endless search for flavor
There are many ways to enjoy mullet roe, including pan-frying it in oil, roasting it over a fire, and adding it to fried rice or Italian pasta. In recent years there has been a fad for cutting the roe into slices and sandwiching it between pieces of juicy fruits and vegetables such as pears, apples, or cassava. Zhuang Guo-xian shares his own favorite method of eating mullet roe, which is to sprinkle kaoliang liquor on top and broil it with a hand-held torch, after which it can be sliced up and consumed. In this way the outside is crisp while the inside is firm to the bite, and with each bite your mouth is filled with the aroma of fresh fish and fat.
Whenever mullet roe is discussed, there is contention over whether wild or farmed mullet produce better roes, but in fact each type has its own strengths and weaknesses. Hsu Zong, director of the Taiwan Culinary Arts Association, who has long studied the flavor of food ingredients, points out that wild mullet living in the sea are omnivorous, creating a rich variety of tastes in their roe. Nonetheless, because in the last few years the techniques for raising mullet in aquaculture have improved, this type of roe has gotten more and more positive attention.
Hsu says there are three reasons for this: The first is that bleeding the fish results in roes with a beautiful color and luster. The second is that with the trend in recent years for reducing salt use, the feed given to farmed mullet and the time when they are removed from their ponds can be adjusted, and these steps, along with research into how to precisely apply salt, enable the fat-rich roe to manifest its finest flavor. The third is that business and academia have worked together to upgrade mullet farming techniques and technology. For example, Zhuang Guo-xin and Cheng Ann-chang, chairman of the Department of Aquaculture at National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, have worked together to use photosynthetic bacteria to improve the ecology of fish ponds and reduce the risks involved in mullet aquaculture. All of these factors have raised the profitability of mullet farming, attracting more people and investment into the industry and building relevant expertise in Taiwan.
Hsu has been delighted by the continual refinement of mullet roe in Taiwan, which has inspired him to try out all kinds of variations in its preparation. For example, he has paired mullet roe with ‘Megumi’ variety apples, with the green garlic produced in different areas, and with gin flavored with local materials, contrasting these with the enchanting flavor of pickled seafood. As he says, “There’s no end point to the search for perfection; instead you have to continually think up interesting new ways to look at mullet roe and other foods.”
Fresh, fragrant, and firm to the bite, mullet roe can be simply sliced and eaten, or it can be enjoyed as an ingredient in various dishes.
Fresh, fragrant, and firm to the bite, mullet roe can be simply sliced and eaten, or it can be enjoyed as an ingredient in various dishes.