In my early days in Spain (1966), while I was still getting a kitchen together and learning my way around the village market, I used to lunch every day in the same bar, where I always ordered the same thing—a salad and grilled red mullet. I was straight out of Midwest America, where fresh seafood was unknown. The memory of that superbly fresh fish flavors all my early impressions of living in Spain.
 |
| Red mullets. These have been gutted and scaled. |
The red mullet—salmonete—is a rock fish, an orangey-pink in color with fine, firm flesh and a delicate, almost herbal flavor. It’s emblematic of Mediterranean cooking. I’ve eaten red mullet in Italy, Greece and Turkey, as well.
On the Málaga coast, small mullet are usually floured and fried, often included in a fritura, a mixed fish fry. Larger ones are cooked on a plancha, a griddle or grill-pan, and served with a simple garlicky dressing, aliño.
I’ve oven-roasted the fish—easier than grilling. A picada sauce—sort of a pesto with parsley, garlic and almonds—can be spread on top of the fish before baking or served alongside as a sauce. The picada is also good added to vegetables. I made enough to stir into a potato-spinach mélange to go with the fish.
Rosemary is an herb that points up the flavor of this fish. Use it discreetly.
 |
| Roasted mullet with a parsley-almond picada sauce, potato-spinach mélange on the side. |
 |
| Sprigs of rosemary point up the fish's flavor. |
Roasted Red Mullet with Picada Sauce
Salmonete con Picada
Use this picada to spread on top of fish before baking it or to serve alongside the cooked fish. It’s also good with vegetables and grilled meats.
 |
| Crush parsley and garlic. |
For the picada sauce:
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
3 cloves garlic
¼ cup chopped parsley
Rosemary leaves (optional)
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons ground almonds
Put the salt in a mortar with the garlic. Crush the garlic to a paste. Add the parsley and rosemary, if using. Continue crushing the mixture until the parsley is reduced to a paste. Add the lemon zest.
Heat the oil in a small pan. Stir in the ground almonds and carefully brown them in the oil. Remove from heat so almonds do not scorch.
Stir the almonds and oil into the garlic-parsley paste.
Add enough water or the drippings from the fish to thin the paste to pouring consistency.
Serve room temperature.
For the red mullet:
1 red mullet per person, 8-10 ounces each, cleaned and scaled
Salt
Thinly sliced lemon
Small sprigs of fresh rosemary
Olive oil
Picada
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Lightly oil a sheet pan or shallow roasting pan.
Sprinkle the fish with salt and allow them to come to room temperature.
Insert a slice of lemon and sprig of parsley in the cavity of the mullet. Place the fish on the baking sheet. Drizzle with oil or spread each fish with picada, if using.
Roast the mullet until the flesh flakes easily, 10-15 minutes.
Serve the fish hot, accompanied by the picada sauce if it was not used for roasting.
Potatoes with Spinach
Patatas con Espinacas
 |
| Picada sauce can be added to potato-spinach mélange. |
If you double the recipe for the picada, you will have enough to serve with the fish and to stir into this vegetable dish. Bacon is optional; if you want a vegetarian dish, omit it.
Serves 4.
1 pound potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 ounce bacon or fatty serrano ham, diced (optional)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup white wine
¼ cup water
1 heaping tablespoon picada sauce (optional)
8 ounces chopped spinach (5 cups)
Peel the potatoes, cut them in half and slice about ½ inch thick. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the bacon or ham and the sliced potatoes. Fry the potatoes, turning occasionally, until they are lightly browned. (They do not need to cook through.)
 |
| Add spinach after potatoes are tender. |
Add salt, wine and water to the potatoes. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the picada sauce, if using, and the spinach. Cover and cook until spinach is wilted.
Another recipe with red mullet: Mixed Fish Fry
More sauces to serve with red mullet:
