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

from
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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Coques. Cockles. Coques on Your French Seafood Menu.
 

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Fleur de Sel - The flower of salt

  

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Jerusalem Artichoke on French Menus. This is the Artichaut de Jérusalem or Topinambour in France.
 

Lentilles – Lentils. Lentils are all over French Menus. The Lentil in French Cuisine

  

Parmesan, the Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano is an Important Ingredient in French Cuisine.

        

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Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

 

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

Copyright 2010, 2016, 2018.

Milk on French Menus, in Cafes and in the supermarkets.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

The senior production manager.

Milk in France,

 

Lait – Milk. (Pronounced lay).

N.B. You may be used to buying fresh milk at home from the supermarket freezer, and in France, most supermarkets will have fresh milk in the freezer. Neverthless,  Lait UHT or Lait Ultra-Haute-Température – UHT or Ultra-high-temperature milk is the milk preferred in French homes.  Sterilized milk may be kept outside of a refrigerator for up to 90 days before opening. Small groceries and Tabacs will only offer UHT milk. UHT milk is not kept in the refrigerators. The milk offered in cafes and restaurants is nearly always UHT.

    

Lait au Chocolat – Chocolate Milk.

Lait Bio-Ecrémé - Skimmed, fat-free, organic milk.

Lait Biologique or Lait Bio –  Organic milk; Green milk.  Organic milk is milk from organically raised cows that graze in organically approved fields or barns that in the winter are fed grasses and organic farm products. No silage may be fed to these cows. The cows themselves are raised free of artificial growth hormone additives and antibiotics. Organic milk is always marked with the AB logo for Agriculture Biologique. For more about organic foods in France click here.

  

On the left: The AB initials that are on all France’s organic products.

On the right:  The leaf indicates the European Union’s Organic products,

  

Lait Complet - Full cream milk. Full cream milk; also called lait entier for whole milk; this and the other milk products that follow are regular milk products. 

   

Lait Condensé  - Condensed milk.

Organic Milk Powder for Babies.

This product is for babies up to six months and the label also notes it is palm oil free.

Note the green AB marking on the tin.

  

Lait Cru – Unpasteurized milk. 

Organic French Camembert made with unpasteurized milk.

As seen in this picture the words lait cru will appear on the packaging of most of France's best cheeses.

To see the post on buying and taking home French cheeses click here.

Lait d'Amandes – Almond milk.

  

Lait d'ânesse – Donkey’s milk. Donkey milk is one of the milks that may be given to babies with allergies to mother’s milk but not a lactose allergy. Donkey milk is considered the closest animal milk to human milk.

  

Lait de Brebis – Sheep’s milk.

Lait de Chèvre – Goats’ milk.

Goat’s milk

Goats’ milk and sheep’s’ milk are popular in France,

Both will be on most large supermarket shelves.

 

Lait de Coco - Coconut milk.

  

Lait de jument – Mare’s milk. 

Lait de Soja – Soy Milk

Lait de Vache – Cows’ milk.

 

Lait  de Vache San Lactose – Lactose-free cow milk.

Lait Demi-Écrémé - Semi-skimmed milk with 1.5% - 1.8% fat. Semi-skimmed milk is easily identified by the bottle or carton’s blue top or label.

   

A statue in honor of the provider of French cows’ milk

Photograph courtesy of Gilles Klein

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gilles_itzkovitchklein/172058800/

  

Lait en Poudre – Powdered milk.

 

Lait Écrémé – Skimmed milk. Skimmed milk contains less than 0.3% fat.  It is identified by the bottle or carton’s green top or label.

   

Lait Bébé – baby milk.

Photograph courtesy of julien haler

https://www.flickr.com/photos/titlap/2484666358/

   

Lait Entier – Whole milk. 3.5% - 3.8% fat. Whole milk has a red cap on the bottle or a red label.

      

Lait Frais -Fresh milk.

Laits Frappés or Milk-Shakes - Milk-shakes.  

 

Lait UHT  or Lait Ultra-Haute-Température – UHT or Ultra-high-temperature milk. Sterilized milk can be kept outside of a refrigerator for up to 90 days before opening. In supermarkets, small groceries and in private homes, unopened this milk is not kept in the refrigerator.

Using milk

Au lait - With milk, (pronounced oh lay).

Café au Lait - Coffee with milk, (pronounced cafe oh lay). For the A- Z on ordering coffee in France click here. 

Butter – Beurre.

 

Lait Chaude - Hot milk.

Lait Froid  - Cold milk.

   

Thé au Lait – Tea with milk.

Yaourt – Yogurt.

For more about ordering breakfast in France click here.  

  

To hear and see how to pronounce French correctly see this excellent website:

https://www.howtopronounce.com/

  

Connected Posts:

 

Amande or Almondine – The almond, the nut, in French cuisine.

 

Buying Cheese in France. Bringing French Cheese Home and a Lexicon for buying French Cheese.

 

Beurre - Butter in French. French Butter in French Cuisine.

 

Camembert Cheese; France's most Famous Cow's Milk Cheese.

   

Ordering Breakfast in France; the French Breakfast Menu.

   

Organic Food in France. Organic Produce, Meats, Milk, Cheeses, Wines and More.

    

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

 

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

                                                                             2010, 2016.