To Roast, Bake, or Broil Red Mullet
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Wash and dry the red mullet thoroughly.
Wrap the fish in buttered paper and tie securely at the ends with kitchen twine.
Roast
Roast in a Dutch oven or bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for 20 to 30 minutes.
Make the sauce and serve
For the sauce, mix the melted butter with the fish's juices and the essence of anchovies.
Remove the twine and serve the mullet with the sauce.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Red mullet
- Forms the main body of the dish, cooking gently and staying moist inside the buttered paper.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture, and carries flavour into the sauce as it melts.
- Essence of anchovies
- Adds savoury depth and a salty edge to the butter sauce.
The step that matters
Roasting the wrapped fish. Fish proteins firm and dry out quickly when overcooked, so checking the fish within the 20 to 30 minute window keeps the flesh moist and tender.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.