Can You Eat Australian Mullet?

Sea mullet is an incredibly delicious and more importantly very underutilised and sustainable species of mullet found on the east Australian coast throughout the year. The flesh is darkish-pink to mid-grey, with a mid-firm to soft texture, and not too many bones to pick through.

Is mullet safe to eat?

Despite their reputation in some locales as the “rat of the sea,” mullets are edible and are actually very popular in the southern part of the U.S., where they are often used as the fish for fish fry events. Mullets are low in mercury, making them a safe choice of fish for just about anyone.

Is mullet good tasting fish?

Mullet has a rich, nutty taste. Its high oil content and flavor have earned it the nickname “Biloxi bacon.” The raw flesh is white and cooks up white, firm and juicy. A dark, lateral line of fatty flesh runs through the meat and can impart a stronger flavor. To prevent this, skin the fish and remove the line.

Are mullet poisonous?

Compared to other kinds of seafood, mullet is relatively low in mercury but contains mercury nonetheless. Mercury is metal that produces toxic effects to the body. If consumed in high quantities it poisons the kidneys and nervous system.

What are mullet like to eat?

They will eat just about anything they can find. Mullets love to munch on food sources such as tiny plants, detritus, insects, and flesh. Mullets have tiny mouths and as such usually consume small food morsels. They love to eat and are not shy about nibbling at just about anything.

Is mullet high in mercury?

Low-mercury fish: Atlantic croaker, Atlantic mackerel, catfish, crab, crawfish, flatfish (flounder and sole), haddock, mullet, pollack, and trout. A 132-pound woman can safely eat up to 18 ounces per week; a 44-pound child can safely eat up to 6 ounces.

Are mullet fresh or saltwater fish?

The striped mullet is catadromous, that is, they spawn in saltwater yet spend most of their lives in freshwater. During the autumn and winter months, adult mullet migrate far offshore in large aggregations to spawn.

Is the mullet Australian?

1980s. In Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom in the 1980s, mullets were “everywhere”, according to Tess Reidy writing at The Guardian in 2019. The 1980s were also the high point of the mullet’s popularity in continental Europe.

What’s the best bait for mullet?

Best Baits
Small ragworms and tiny fresh fish strips, particularly mackerel, herring and pilchard work very well for catching mullet. Small crabs (soft-backed), shrimps and peeled prawns are also effective.

Is mullet a bony fish?

Most species of mullet are considered bony fish, and oftentimes they are cooked whole or butterfly-filleted because cleaning around the bone structure can be difficult.

Why do mullet jump Australia?

The trapped air is believed to allow the fish to remain active in water of low oxygen concentration for about five minutes. Several interesting lines of evidence support this theory. The number of jumps is correlated with the concentration of oxygen in the water. The less oxygen, the more jumps.

What is mullet fish used for?

Instead, mullet are harvested for use as a bait fish. Striped mullet are also widely cultivated in freshwater ponds in Southeast Asia where they are marketed fresh, dried, salted, and frozen. They are a very important commercial species in many parts of the world.

Is mullet a bottom feeder?

Called “bottom feeders,” striped mullets scrape material from rocks using their lower jaw that is shaped like a spade. They also pick up material from the sea floor and use their gill rakers and teeth to strain animal matter and digestible plants.

Which fish we should not eat?

Making the “do not eat” list are King Mackerel, Shark, Swordfish and Tilefish. All fish advisories due to increased mercury levels should be taken seriously. This is especially important for vulnerable populations such as young children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and older adults.

Can you eat saltwater mullet?

“It is actually good to eat but it’s considered a bait fish,” he said. “They’ll mostly use that mullet to catch the stone crabs and put them in their traps.”

Can you buy red mullet in Australia?

In southern Australia, they are mainly caught as a by-catch in inshore seine net fisheries. There is a limited high value market for domestic consumption of larger fish. The smaller Red Mullet are popular with South Australian consumers.

How do you get mercury out of your body?

If you have mercury poisoning with a very high level of mercury in your blood, your doctor will probably recommend chelation therapy. This method involves using medications, called chelators, that bind to mercury in your body and help it to exit your system. Chelators can be taken as a pill or injected.

What fish has the highest mercury?

Overall, larger and longer-lived fish tend to contain the most mercury ( 4 ). These include shark, swordfish, fresh tuna, marlin, king mackerel, tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico, and northern pike ( 5 ). Larger fish tend to eat many smaller fish, which contain small amounts of mercury.

What fish is lowest in mercury?

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans states that to consume those higher amounts, children should only be fed fish from the “Best Choices” list that are even lower in mercury – these fish are anchovies, Atlantic mackerel, catfish, clams, crab, crawfish, flounder, haddock, mullet, oysters, plaice, pollock, salmon,

Why mullet jump out of the water?

“Mullet jump to breathe air.”
The trapped air is believed to allow the fish to remain active in water of low oxygen concentration for about five minutes.

Why is it called a mullet?

While literature’s first mullet mention may have come from the ancient Greek poet Homer—in The Iliad, he described the Abantes, a group of spearmen, as wearing “their forelocks cropped, hair grown long at the backs,”—the term “mullet” wasn’t actually coined until 1994, thanks to the Beastie Boys’ song “Mullet Head.”