Every year 10 days before and after the winter solstice, schools of grey mullet, Mugil cephalus, swim down from the Sea of Japan past the Korean peninsula and along the coast of mainland China to spawn off southwest Taiwan, bringing treasure for Taiwan’s fishermen.
With the flesh, roe, seminal vesicle and stomach providing high economic value, in Taiwan one mullet can bring as much as NT$500 (US$17), making the mullet season a very important one for fishermen.
“Mullet represent an abundant haul, as well as hope and good fortune,” said Vic Huang, supply and marketing chief with the Tzukuan Fisheries Association in Kaohsiung City.
According to Huang, the history of mullet fishing in Taiwan can be traced back 400 years to Dutch colonial rule (1624-1662), when those who wanted to go after the fish had to register with officials and pay taxes. Licensed fishermen received an official stamp and a flag to fly from the bow of their vessel. Dutch control over the number of flags issued led to the perception of mullet fishing as an honorable economic activity.
Among the edible parts of the fish, the roe, high in vitamins A, B and E, as well as lipids and protein, is the most valuable and nutritious. In the past it was such a high-end food that it was presented as tribute to the Chinese and Japanese royal families, Huang said. Being so precious, it is cured with great care, he added.
“When the mullet are brought ashore, we slice them open, take out the paired ovaries, and tie a string at the top [to keep them together]. Next, we use a spoon or a thin needle to softly scrape away the veins,” Huang said.
“Afterward, we pickle the roe by evenly smearing salt on the ovaries—at 12 to 15 percent the weight of the roe—or by soaking them in salt water for one to two hours, depending on size. When the time’s up, we wash away the salt, dry off the egg sacs with a cloth and tissue, and put them on wooden boards to air-dry for a while. Then, they are rearranged on the boards in twelve layers according to their size and thickness, with iron weights on top to press them down, a step we call ‘shaping.’”
According to Huang Chih-hua, a master at TFA with 22 years of experience processing mullet roe, the ovaries in each layer must be of the same size or they will be damaged, causing the eggs to ooze out.
“Bigger sacs go on the bottom layer, while smaller ones go on top as they can’t endure heavy pressure,” Huang said, explaining that the roe is pressed for a week under ever increasing weight: 40 kilograms the first day, and then 80kg, 140kg, 180kg, 220kg, 260kg and finally 300kg the seventh day.
“This part requires great care and experience from the masters,” Vic Huang said, adding that if the roe sacs are injured during this process, pig intestines are used to patch up the holes, and later removed when the product is packaged.
“In between pressings, the roe has to sit in the sun for two to three hours every day to get rid of the dampness,” Huang Chih-hua said, adding that after a week, it has to be air-dried for another one to two days before the whole curing process is complete.
Vic Huang added that during the process, any problems must be dealt with immediately to ensure the quality of the product. If a south wind comes up when the mullet roe is drying in the sun, for example, it must be moved inside quickly because the south wind brings in humidity that will damage the roe’s taste and freshness. The best kind of wind is the northeast wind, which quickens the drying of the mullet roe, he noted.
In addition, any bubbles found on the surface of the sacs during air-drying must be punctured carefully with thin needles, while the roe must be flipped over from time to time to dry evenly, he said.
Vic Huang pointed out that one good way to determine if a roe sac is ready is to feel its center and see if it is hard, because drying tends to go from the outside in. “It should have a moderate degree of hardness, so if you press your finger on the surface, no finger marks will show,” he said.
In addition, color, shape and taste should be taken into consideration when purchasing mullet roe. “Under the light, the roe should be reddish orange, transparent and free from any residues,” Vic Huang said, adding that the paired ovaries should be symmetrical, or nearly so, and not smell fishy or greasy.
As more and more mullet are being caught by mainland Chinese fishermen before the schools reach Taiwan, he said, the catch in Taiwan is getting smaller annually, with this season’s haul by the TFA less than one-third of the previous season’s. Fishermen nationwide have thus started to farm mullet in ponds or import it from Australia, Brazil and the U.S.
Cultivation results in some differences in the end product, however. The roe of wild mullet is chewier and the egg sacs come in different sizes, while those of farmed mullet are rounder and smell slightly of mud, he pointed out.
Imported mullet roe comes from a different species, and is smaller and yellower, he said. Because it is kept frozen during shipping, the taste is not as good, and this affects its price.
Wild mullet roe is worth NT$2,400 per 600 grams on the market, while cultivated and imported roe bring NT$2,200 and NT$2,100, respectively, he said.
Given its high value, for Vic Huang and many like him who grew up in fishing families, mullet roe, whether wild, cultivated or imported, will always represent hope for a bright future. (THN)
Write to Grace Kuo at morningk@mail.gio.gov.tw