Behind the French Menu: gravlax

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Mulet and Mulet Dore on French Menus. Grey Mullet and Golden Grey Mullet, the Fish.

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Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Golden Grey Mulllet

Photograph courtesy of renotonna.yolasite.com.

All members of the Mullet fish family are popular, but two stand out, the Grey Mullet and the Golden Grey Mullet. In the fishmongers, the most attractive will usually be the slightly smaller golden grey mullet; but you will not notice any difference in taste. Another two other members of the grey mullet family may be on the menu or on sale in the supermarket, or poissonnerie, a fishmonger, and they are also tasty fish. They are the Mulet à Grosse Tête, the Flathead Grey Mullet and the Mulet Lipp, the Thick-Lipped Grey Mullet.

Mulet and Mulet Dore in France

These tasty fish have a soft white flesh and in France, the smaller fish, less than 700 grams (25 ounces), will mostly come from fish farms and they may be offered fried or grilled. Larger fish, caught near the entrance to rivers or at sea may weigh up to 5 kilos and will be served as filets. Usually, they will be baked or poached and served with a sauce. Muge and Muge Cabot are the Provençal names for grey mullet. N.B. None of the grey mullet family have any relationship at all to the Rouget Barbet, the red mullet.

Wild Grey Mullet photographed in the harbor.

Photograph courtesy of Ben Salter

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ben_salter/4060962537/

The source of Boutargue or Poutargue

Boutargue or Poutargue is the salted and dried roe of the grey mullet and a Provençal delicacy which some compare to caviar though apart from both being fish eggs, its taste is very different. Boutargue has a flavorful concentrated taste, and you can savor the brine with a texture that is soft but can just be felt on your teeth.

Botargue

Photograph courtesy of J. Barthouil

Grey Mullet on French Menus:

Dos de Mulet Rôti – A large roasted cut from the back of a mullet.

Carpaccio de Mulet aux Oursins de Pleine Mer.- A Mullet Carpaccio prepared with the edible part of sea urchins that have been brought in from the open sea. The only edible part of sea urchins is their roe, their eggs, which are firm but when eaten have a texture of scrambled eggs and a slightly salty taste.

Dos de Mulet Rôti aux Amandes- A thick cut from a grey mullet roasted with almonds.

The sea churning as dolphin hunt grey mullet.

Photograph courtesy of Dawn

https://www.flickr.com/photos/31064702@N05/5489527652/

Duo de Mulet et Saumon Gravlax Gnocchi et Sauce à l'Aneth - a double serving of mullet and salmon gravlax, the gnocchi and fish are served with an aniseed-flavored sauce.

NB. Gravlax originated in Sweden and it is Atlantic salmon cured for three or four days in a nearly, but not quite, freezing combination of salt, sugar, pepper and dill and served sliced as thinly as possible. Gravlax has a taste somewhat similar to smoked salmon but with a different texture. Gnocchi are those 2 to 3 cm sized free-form pasta balls traditionally made in Italy with potato flour and seen on many pasta menus. Gnocchi are also very popular in France and are made with a variety of recipes from the traditional potato flour to the lighter durum wheat flour.

Grey mullet on sale.

Photograph courtesy of Tony Weeg

https://www.flickr.com/photos/tonyweeg/2971429077/

Filet de Mulet de Loire Beurre Blanc – A filet of grey mullet from the River Loire cooked in a butter sauce, this sauce is also called Beurre Nantaise.

Mulet Grillé Au Fenouil – Mullet grilled with fennel.

Tartare de Mulet de Mer et Huitre Végétale – A Tartar made with mullet caught at sea and served with the oyster plant. The European oyster plant while looking nothing like an oyster does have an oyster taste in its green leaves. It may be served or raw or cooked.

Un Filet Finement Émincé De Mulet Simplement Servi Cru, Mariné à l'Huile d'Olive, Sel de Guérande et Poivre Noir de Sarawak. A finely sliced filet of mullet marinated in olive oil with the sea salt from Guerande and the black Sarawak pepper from Borneo in Malaysia.

The white-headed eagle drops his grey mullet lunch.

Photograph courtesy of Biodiversity Heritage Library

https://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/7874538634/

Grey Mullet and Golden Grey Mullet are generally considered a freshwater fish, but they are just as home in brackish water along the coast. France's Mediterranean Grey Mullet family are a favorite of anglers along the coast.

The Grey Mullet in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Catalan - llissa llobarrera), (Durch - diklipharder ), (German - gewöhnliche meeräsche), (Italian – cefalo, muggine), (Spanish -, llisa,mujol, mugil).

Golden Grey Mullet

Mulet Doré – Golden Grey Mullet, Golden Mullet; tasting much like grey mullet and cooked with the same recipes. This fish is smaller and rarely reaches 40 cms in length. With a very similar taste to its dull grey cousin, many of the same recipes will be used. Muge Doré and Muge-Durin are Provencal names for the Golden Grey Mullet.

Golden Grey Mullet on French Menus:

Filet de Mulet Doré Crème à l'Ail. A filet of golden grey mullet prepared with a cream of garlic sauce.

Filet de Mulet Doré Vapeur Purée de Topinambour aux Coques et Jus d'Un Fumet au Curcuma. A steamed filet of golden grey mullet served with a puree of Jerusalem artichoke, cockles, and a sauce made with the dish's cooking juices and turmeric. Cockles are small, popular member of the clam family.

Le Mulet Dore à l'Huile D'olive, Ragoût de Legumes Oublies - Golden Grey Mullet cooked in olive oil and served with a stew of heirloom vegetables

Hot smoking grey mullet

Photograph courtesy of Kathy

https://www.flickr.com/photos/44603071@N00/6463929257/

Mulet Doré Sur La Peau, Purée de Chou au Gingembre, Lentilles Beluga

- Golden grey mullet cooked in its skin and served with pureed cabbage flavored with ginger and accompanied by beluga lentils. These round lentils are, because of the color and shape often called caviar lentils. Most black lentils seen in France are imported from Canada as local production does not keep up with demand,

Filet De Mulet Doré Sur la Peau, Gnocchis De Pomme De Terre Gratinées Au Parmesan, Vierge de Févettes et Tomates Confits - A filet of golden mullet cooked in its skin and served with potato flour gnocchis served browned under the grill with Parmesan cheese; all accompanied by raw fava beans and tomato confit. NB. Raw Fava beans are not for everyone as they can badly affect people with a certain enzyme deficiency; be sure you know about your own exposure to uncooked fava beans.

Golden Grey Mullet in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Catalan - galta-roig), (Dutch - goudharder ), (German –goldmeeräsche), (Italian - muggine dorato), (Spanish - lisa dorada, alise).

The Thick Lipped Grey Mullet

Mulet Lippu, Bâtard Labre, Lissa, Muge Lippu, Muge à Grosses Lèvres, Mulet Lippu – The thick-lipped gray mullet, black mullet; it tastes like gray mullet and is cooked like gray mullet. Occasionally, there is some confusion in the translations, and the name labre is also used for this thick-lipped gray mullet. Labre is used for the fish called wrasse or cuckoo wrasse, a very different fish and an essential ingredient in certain Provencal fish soups.

The Thick Lipped grey mullet will be served with the same recipes used for grey and golden grey mullet and may be served as great mullet; there will be no obvious difference in taste,

Thick Lipped Grey Mullet in the names of France’s neighbors.

(Catalan - llissa vera), (Dutch - diklippige harder), (German - dicklippen-meeräsche, meeräsche), (Italian – cefalo bosega, bosega, muggine), (Spanish – lisa , muble).

Flathead Grey Mullet.

Mulet à Grosse Tête, Muge Céphale, Muge Cabot, Mulet jaune - Flathead grey Mullet, Sea Mullet, Striped Mullet, Black Mullet – This member of the family is a sub-tropical fish and so is caught in the Mediterranean. It will be on the menu as Grey Mullet or with the same recipes.

Flathead grey mullet

Photograph courtesy of rawpixel.com.

Illustration from The Natural History of British Fishes (1802) by Edward Donovan (1768-1837).

www.flickr.com/photos/vintage_illustration/41894554215/

Flathead Grey Mullet in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Catalan - llissa llobarrera), (Dutch - diklipharder), (German - gewöhnliche meeräsche), (Italian – cefalo, mùggine), (Spanish – céfalo).

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Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Saumon, Saumon Atlantique - Salmon. Salmon in French Cuisine.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

The Atlantic Salmon

Photograph by courtesy of the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, USA

Saumon – Salmon.

The only salmon that calls Europe its real home is the Atlantic Salmon, and it is France's best-selling fish, just ahead of cod. It will be on the menu marinated, fried, poached, grilled and smoked. Salmon is also number two in the fish restaurant popularity stakes just after fresh cod.

The Atlantic Salmon's French names include: Saumon; Saumon Atlantique; Tacon Atlantique; Saumon Baltic; Saumon Écossais; Saumon Norvégien or Saumon Sauvage.

In English the names for the Atlantic Salmon include: Salmon, Atlantic Salmon, Black Salmon, Baltic Salmon Sea Salmon, Silver salmon, Irish Salmon, Scotch Salmon, Norwegian Salmon and Wild Salmon.

Atlantic Salmon on French menus:

Carpaccio de Saumon, (Huile d'Olive, Toasts) – Salmon Carpaccio flavored with olive oil and served with toast on the side.

Carpaccio de Saumon

Photograph courtesy of Manoel Petry

www.flickr.com/photos/manoelpetry/5264945056/

Dos de Saumon en Croute d'Herbes, Sauce Paloise - A thick cut from the back of the salmon, baked in a crust of herbs, and served with a Sauce Paloise. a granddaughter, or perhaps a grandson of one of France’s mother sauces, Sauce Hollandaise.

Grilled salmon with teriyaki sauce.

Photograph courtesy of Prayitno

www.flickr.com/photos/prayitnophotography/16802375986/

Hure de Saumon – Translated without any good reason as salmon head cheese, or the nearly as bad, salmon pate since this dish is neither. Hure de saumon is a fillet of salmon and parsley; steamed or braised and then prepared for display with a gelatin coating, nothing to do with a salmon’s head, any type of cheese or pate. A hure de saumon will be served cold with fresh mayonnaise and is often part of a buffet offering.

Millefeuille de Saumon Fumé, Sorbet Citron Vert – Layers of smoked salmon interleaved with a vegetable and served with a lime sorbet. With salmon, in season, the vegetable that makes the millefeuille in this dish will often be thin slices of avocado.

Pavé de Saumon Norvégien à la Provençale – A thick cut of Norwegian farm-raised Atlantic salmon prepared with a traditional Provençale recipe. The dish will include lots of tomatoes, and the Provençale flavor will be coming from the herb group called the Herbes de Provence, along with shallots and a small amount of garlic, local black olives and parsley. Additions such as cream or crème fraiche and white wine are at the chef’s discretion; however, they were not part of the traditional recipe.

Dos de Saumon Sauce à l'Aneth

A thick cut of salmon with a dill sauce.

Carpaccio de Saumon

Photograph courtesy of patrick janicek

Saumoneau de Fontaine Sauce Suprème aux Cèpes - Young salmon (smolt) from the river served with a sauce supreme and cepes, the French porcinin mushrooms. Sauce Supreme is a white sauce made with veal or chicken stock, butter and crème fraiche; here the stock may be a fumet, a fish stock.

Saumon Ecossaise Label Rouge

Farmed Scottish salmon holding the French red label for consistent quality and concerned animal husbandry.

Scottish farmed salmon was the first non-French product to be awarded the French Label Rouge, red label. The Scottish Label Rouge salmon also comes with the British RSPCA label of Freedom food. The RSPCA, Freedom Food Rating is the highest standard for farmed-fish in the world. The RSPCA inspects cleanliness, type of food, prevents overcrowding and ensures the absolute minimum of discomfort when the fish are brought in.

This Scottish salmon is so flavorful, and is farmed under such uniquely clean and controlled conditions that only five Scottish salmon farms have so been awarded the French red label of excellence.

Filet de Saumon Écossais Label Rouge à l'Unilatérale, Pommes Sautées au Persil – A filet of Scottish label rouge salmon lightly fried through from the skin side of the filet, and served with boiled potatoes flavored with parsley. Cooking fish à l'unilatérale is considered the best way to fry a filet of fish; by cooking only on the skin side of the filet the flavor of the fish is not affected by the cooking oil as it would be if cooked on both sides.

Blanquette de Saumon Écossais Label Rouge aux Girolles, Marrons et Graines de Moutarde. A stew of label rouge Scottish salmon served with girolle chanterelle mushrooms, chestnuts and flavored with mustard grains. The recipes for blanquette stews almost always include mushrooms and a cream sauce; many recipes include white wine. France has many chestnut forests and the recipes that include chestnuts are endless.

Salade de jamboncru et saumon Francaise fume

A salad of curedham and French smoked salmon

Two different tastes and textures that go so well together

Photograph courtesy of ayako

www.flickr.com/photos/ayk/6960839/

Many French chefs smoke their own salmon. When you see, on a French menu, Fumé Maison, home smoked, then the chef is in charge of the smoking; that will be smoked salmon made with love; it will not have been bought at from a restaurant wholesaler or supermarket!

Salade d’Asperges Vertes, Saumon Fumé et Son Œuf Poché – A salad of green asparagus served with smoked salmon and a poached egg.

Saumon Fumé Maison et Ses Toasts – Home smoked salmon served with warm toast.

Saumon Cru or Saumon Mariné

Marinated salmon or cured salmon.

Cured salmon is sometimes mistranslated as raw; sashimi is raw, saumon cru is not, it has been marinated. I have had fabulous meals that included marinated salmon; twice, once in Paris, and once in Lyon I enjoyed the nearest thing to the “absolute” saumon mariné.

Saumon Mariné à l'Aneth – Salmon marinated in dill. Dill is the most popular herb, in France, for marinating salmon, and the dill is applied with a light touch. The result may be some of the best marinated salmon you will ever encounter. When saumon mariné à l'aneth is on the menu do not pass it by.

Marinated salmon

Photograph courtesy of mari

www.flickr.com/photos/birdies-perch/1794151133/

Saumon Mariné au Citron Vert et Aneth - Salmon marinated in lime juice and dill. When thinly sliced I think that French marinated salmon is the only salmon that comes close to the texture of the very best and thinly sliced smoked salmon.

Salmon Marine au Thym –Salmon marinated with thyme.

Saumon Gravlax, Gravadlax or Gravad Lax

Gravlax is a dish of Scandinavian origin; it is the Scandinavian take on marinated salmon and it preceded the French recipe. Gravlax has a different texture and taste and is very popular in France. Gravlax is made with whole filets of salmon, cured in a nearly, but not quite, freezing, mixture of salt, sugar, pepper and dill; it is served thinly sliced though not as thin as the French marinated salmon.

Gravlax

Photograph courtesy of ethorson

www.flickr.com/photos/ethorson/3148591844/

During a visit to Sweden I was told that the name gravlax comes from the Swedish be-grava meaning “to bury” and the word lax, of course, means “salmon.” The name indicates that the recipe preceded refrigerators when it would have been wild, not farmed salmon that was buried and marinated under the snow for two or three days during the long winter. With snow expected nine months a year in many parts of Sweden that was probably close to the home, almost certainly close to the kitchen door.

Saumon Sauvage de l'Adour Mariné Façon Gravlax, Tomates Confites, Câpres et Fleur d'ail - Wild salmon from the Adour River, prepared as Gravlax and served with a thick jam, a confit, of tomatoes and flavored with capers and garlic flowers. The Adour is one of France’s shorter rivers; the river rises in the Pyrenees and flows in an arc for nearly 330 km before reaching the sea below the city of Bayonne. Despite the Ardour's short length, it is famous for its wild salmon; here, you will be enjoying wild salmon, and since fish are undeniably very much what they eat; the difference in texture and taste to farmed salmon will be evident.

Tartare de Saumon – Salmon Tartar.

Tartare – The Tatars; the tribes who, under Genghis Khan overran much of Asia and parts of Europe. In the French kitchen, the Tartars are now best remembered for the beef dish created by a French chef in their memory: Steak Tartare, Steak Tartar. Following on that success, another French chef begat Tartare de Saumon, salmon Tartar; that was followed by another chef who begat Tartare de Tomates, tomato Tartar. From then on, like the real Tartars, there was no stopping them; one after other chefs begat and begot numerous new creations all named after the Tartars.

Tartare de Saumon - Salmon tartar. Diced, marinated, fresh uncooked salmon prepared together with diced onions, chives, eggs, capers, parsley, olive oil, pepper, and lemon juice. Tartare de Saumon will be served as an entrée, the French first course.

Tartare de Saumon et Pétoncles – Salmon and queen-scallop (queenies) Tartar; prepared in the same manner as the Salmon Tartar dish above.

Tartare de saumon pamplemousse

Salmon and grapefruit Tatar.

Photograph courtesy of the Magazine Advantages

Tartare de Saumon Baltic Fumé à l'Aneth et au Citron Vert – Baltic salmon, smoked with dill and flavored with lime. The usage of the name Baltic salmon is just menuise (the language of menus) as the Baltic salmon is the same fish as the Atlantic Salmon. The fish offered here came from a Baltic Sea salmon-farm, and so they will not be too different to Norwegian farmed salmon as they will be fed the same food. Despite my caveat, there are the wild salmon that inhabit the Baltic sea, rivers and fiords of the countries around the sea. The brackish water of the Baltic provides different foods supplies for the wild salmon who live there, and that certainly provides a different taste. The Baltic sea does connect to the North Sea and so from there into the Atlantic. Look at the Baltic Sea is virtually surrounded by Sweden, Finland, the Danish Islands, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and Russia.

France is home to many excellent Japanese restaurants including those with Michelin stars. You may enjoy salmon sushi, sashimi and more all over France; apart from many excellent Japanese restaurants, you will find French chefs who have adopted Japanese recipes to French cuisine. Whatever the method of preparation you will rarely be disappointed when ordering salmon in France.

Over 98% of salmon on sale in French fish-markets and on restaurant menus will be the Atlantic salmon; it will have been farm-raised in Norway, Ireland, Scotland and a few other European countries. The other 2% of Atlantic Salmon will be saumon sauvage, wild Atlantic salmon, from the Atlantic or the North Sea, Scottish rivers or France’s own rivers. A small amount of wild salmon, mostly saumon rouge, sockeye salmon, also called red salmon, is imported, frozen, from North America. I have heard that some saumon rose, humpback salmon may come from Russia or the North of Sweden to which it has migrated. If the humpack salmon migrate any further south we may see this member of the salmon family claiming a European Union passport

Lunchtime

Photograph courtesy of the Dawna Raven sky Zimbalist

www.flickr.com/photos/35363841@N04/4935996595/

The Atlantic Salmon in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Dutch – zalm), (German – Atlantischer lachs, lachs), (Italian –salmone atlantico), (Spanish – salmón), (Latin - salmo salar).

Below are the French names for other salmon species; many countries have excellent French restaurants and excellent French chefs, and they may be serving a salmon other than Atlantic salmon.

Saumon Argenté or Saumon Coho - Coho salmon.

(Latin - oncorhynchus kisutch).

Saumon Chinook or Saumon Royale – Chinook or King salmon.

(Latin - oncorhynchus tshawytscha).

Saumon Keta or Saumon du Pacifique - Chum Salmon or Keta salmon.

(Latin - oncorhynchus keta)

Saumon Rose or Saumon Rose à Bosse – Pink salmon or Humpback salmon.

(Latin - oncorhynchus gorbuscha).

Saumon Rouge - Sockeye salmon or Red salmon.

(Latin - oncorhynchus nerka).

Saumon de Fontaine – This is not a salmon; rather this is the brook trout, a tasty member of the trout/salmon family. These are fresh water fish and an excellent menu choice; however, they are not salmon.

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