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Can You Eat Mullet?

There are over 70 different varieties of mullet fish readily available in the United States. Most of these fish are safe to eat! If the area of water is safe, you should be okay frying up your catch of the day for dinner. 

Mullet Is A Staple In The Southern United States

Not only can you eat mullet, in some parts of the country it’s considered very common. Mullet, especially black mullet, is extremely popular in southern parts of the country. It’s also considered a staple in Florida where it’s common to enjoy an old-fashioned fish fry. 

Does Mullet Have Mercury?

Mullet is considered a low-mercury fish. This means that it does contain some mercury, but it is a low enough amount that it is considered safe to eat for most people. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid eating mullet due to the slight mercury content. Other individuals should limit how much mullet they consume based on their weight. For example, small children should only eat 7 ounces per week. This ensures that they will not have high levels of mercury in their system or suffer from mercury poisoning. 

Making Sure The Water Is Safe

Every day, chemicals are dumped into water that winds up in local lakes, larger bodies of water, and ultimately in the fish that live in them. Some fishermen simply don’t eat the bottom feeders in the area, but this can still be iffy. Instead, check out this list from the Environmental Protection Agency to see local advisories. 

How Does Mullet Fish Taste?

Mullet fish are not for those that do not love fish. They have a distinctly fishy flavor that most people will instantly love or hate. If you enjoy the fishy taste of fish, you’ll love mullet and understand why it is considered a delicacy in some areas. If not, you’ll understand why it’s considered trash fish in other areas. 

Is Mullet Trash Fish?

Well, that depends on where you are. In Florida, this popular fish is one of the most popular ones. In parts of Texas, it’s considered trash fish. This means that people do not like it or simply use it as bait when they accidentally catch it. Where you’re at can easily tell you whether it’s considered trash fish by the locals, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t eat it. If you like mullet, fry some up. 

What Can You Do With Mullet?

Mullet tastes delicious when you smoke it, fry it, or even grill it. If you enjoy mullet, simply cook it the same way that you do other fish. If you’re not a fan of fish with a fishy taste, you can always use mullet as bait. Yellow-eyed mullet in particular are popular to use as bait.

Popular Ways To Eat Mullet

A quick search online will reveal that there are hundreds of recipes to guarantee that your mullet tastes delicious. You can grill mullet, enjoy smoked mullet, or even bake it in a pan. If you’re just discovering how much you enjoy the taste of this fish, these easy ways to cook mullet will help you present a delicious main course for dinner. 

Prepare Your Fish

Before you cook your fish, you’ll want to prepare it properly. Once you have your fish fillets, make sure to rinse them off. Then, you can season them as you would any other fish. If this is your first time cooking fish, stick to the basics, and slowly work towards more complicated recipes. 

Eggs And Flour

You can easily skip the fancy recipes and use a simple batter with eggs and flour if you would like. You’ll need two bowls for this. Put five eggs in one bowl. Whisk them together. Then, put flour in another bowl. 

Rinse the fish fillet under warm water. Then, dip them in the eggs. After that, dip them in the flour ensuring that the fillet is thoroughly covered in flour. Shake off the excess flour, and then put the fillet in the pan to fry, bake, etc. 

You can also add salt and pepper to season the fish. 

Popular Spices

Everyone has their own personal preference regarding spices and fish. Mullet is known for having a strong taste, so most people prefer strong spices. You might not be able to taste bland spices due to the strong taste of the fish. Examples of strong spices that are commonly used for mullet include:

  • Blackening spices
  • Chili pepper
  • Chili powder
  • Combinations of spices
  • Lemon pepper with a drizzle of lemon juice
  • A combination of salt, pepper, a pinch of garlic salt, lemon pepper, and general seasoning
  • Fish fry seasoning can be found in some larger chain grocery stores

Pan-Fried Mullet

To enjoy pan-fried mullet, you’ll cook it in a pan just like you would anything else. Pour vegetable oil or canola oil in the bottom of the pan, and turn the pan on medium heat. Let the oil heat up until you can drop a tiny bit of water on it and it sizzles. 

Then, put your seasoned fish in the pan, frying one side at a time. It should only take a few minutes for each side to reach a golden brown color. 

Baked Mullet

To bake mullet, prepare your fish. Then, bake it at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes. You can tell when fish is done cooking by scraping it lightly with a fork. When the fish is done, it will flake easily with a fork. If it is not, it will not. 

Because of their strong fishy taste, some people do not care for mullet. On the other hand, there are people that cannot get enough mullet! Whether you like mullet or not is a personal preference. However, it is safe to eat. 

When eating mullet, remember that it should be eaten in moderation. Mullet is a low-mercury fish that should complement a healthy diet. It should not be consumed on a daily basis due to the low mercury content. 

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Growing up on the south shore of Long Island, Chum Charlie has always had a passion for fishing. His favorite fish to catch is a striped bass and his favorite bait to use is bunker. Off the water, he enjoys blogging and sharing his favorite fishing tips & tricks that he has learned over the years.