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them. Now if Constable had been there then, instead of three years earlier in 1816, the pink glow of that vast catch might have been reflected in his paintings of the bay. These days, the red mullet are snapped up by restaurateurs, and eschewed by provincial fishmongers who think their clients won’t pay the price. Go on asking your fishmonger, be persistent, and one day he may listen to you.

HOW TO PREPARE RED MULLET

Some cooks leave the scales of the mullet in place if they are going to grill or deep-fry it: they form an impermeable coating so that the fish cooks in its own juices, steams one might say, inside a carapace. Mostly, though, it is best to scale mullet and be able to eat the skin, or so I think. Try to do this without using a lot of water, so that you keep the reddish-pink tones as lively as possible.

When gutting the mullet, treat the liver delicately, be on the lookout for it, and return it to the cavity as it is the best part.

Recipes for grey mullet, bream, bass and bluefish can often be adapted to red mullet. Orange juice, especially bitter orange juice, used discreetly, or orange wedges, can be substituted for lemon.

GRILLED RED MULLET WITH FENNEL (Rouget grillé au fenouil)

About twenty and more years ago there was a passion for serving grilled fennel on a bed of dried fennel stalks which were then set alight with alcohol. It was indeed a delightful dish, especially on holiday in Provence where, in some small restaurant, it was done for you. People came home and tried it for themselves and for a while there was quite a market for dried fennel stalks. Clever business, that. In fact, fennel of the kind used, Foeniculum vulgare, grows like a weed in any garden here and the stalks are perfectly easy to dry. I suppose it was when cooks realized that once they had a plant of fennel in the backyard, they would have a fennel jungle next year, that the dish began to go out of fashion. And all the little burnt bits of fennel stopped you eating the skin of the fish, too, which with grilled mullet especially is one of the bonuses.

Serves 6

6 red mullet each weighing 250–300 g (8–10 oz), scaled

1 green leafy fennel stalk, cut from the top of Florentine fennel or a little pastis

a little clarified butter*

salt, pepper

6 heads of Florentine fennel, quartered

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large clove garlic, chopped fine

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Gut the mullet from the gills, removing and saving the livers. Into the cavities, put a short stalk of green fennel, or brush them out with pastis, and replace the livers. Slash the fish two or three times on either side. Brush over with butter and season, paying particular attention to the slashes.

Meanwhile, cook the fennel quarters in boiling salted water until just tender, and cook the onion and garlic slowly in the butter. Drain the fennel and add the pieces to the onion pan, mixing everything well so that the fennel is bathed in buttery juices. Put into a heatproof dish, sprinkle with the cheese and brown nicely under a preheated grill. Keep the fennel warm while you grill the mullet on both sides, about 7 minutes in all.

Serve mullet and fennel together, with bread and dry white wine.

RED MULLET WITH MUSHROOMS

The deliberate flavour of red mullet is well set off by mushrooms. In the autumn, try the dish with ceps or girolles: use them on their own, or with cultivated mushrooms, weighing them when prepared as there can be a fair amount of waste.

Serves 6

3 large mullet or 6 medium-sized mullet, scaled, cleaned

salt, pepper

125 g (4 oz) chopped onion

4 tablespoons butter

375 g (12 oz) mushrooms, chopped

60 g (2 oz) breadcrumbs

leaves of 1 handful of parsley, chopped

lemon wedges

Preheat the oven to gas 5, 190°C (3750F).

Season the cavities of the mullet with salt and pepper and replace the livers. Grease an ovenproof gratin dish large enough to hold the mullet in a single layer with a butter paper.

Cook the onion until soft in the butter,