“Biloxi Bacon” makes a rare appearance in Ann Arbor
By Ari Weinzweig
One of my favorite parts of the Roadhouse’s ever-evolving menu (it changes almost daily as new items arrive) is the fish section—everything from Bay of Fundy salmon from Canada (which in the context of the chaos of current events, seemed, on Monday as if costs would go up, but by Wednesday it appears now might not) to Lake Superior whitefish, to Georges Bank Scallops, and so much more. There are also fish that come and go for short seasonal windows—and this mullet is one of my favorites. I order some as soon as it shows up!
Why we like mullet.
If you aren’t already familiar with mullet and you live outside the American southeast, you’re not alone. Mullet has gotten little attention in the headlines of the mainstream food world. It’s often written off as “trash fish”—fish used more frequently as bait than to bring customers to a quality-focused restaurant like the Roadhouse. Scholar Michelle Zacks calls mullet “the Rodney Dangerfield of fish.” Over the next few years, I’d like to change that mindset. Mullet is delicious, has a great history, and fits perfectly into the Roadhouse’s commitment to really good American food! I am always super jazzed to see it show up on the Roadhouse menu.
The mullet is coming to us through the good work of the folks at Locals Seafood. Two guys who decided to step up and take a leadership role to get better quality local fish and shellfish from the North Carolina coast to fish-loving customers like us around the country. We’ve been getting wild-caught shrimp from them regularly for the last few years! As a big fish eater, I’m excited that we can get mullet in from them for everyone to try!
The story behind mullet.
If you were to go to the American southeast—from the mid-Atlantic all the way around to the Gulf Coast—a lot more people will know mullet than they do in Michigan. Down there, mullet is more akin to what we have in the Great Lakes with whitefish, or you’ll experience in Portugal or southern Spain with sardines. In the late 16th century, mullet was essential—both for eating and economically—to the culture of the native Calusa people in what is now Florida. It was a staple for enslaved people before Emancipation, and it remains a regular for working-class folks in the region to this day. In 1910, Forest & Stream magazine called mullet “the common diet of the people all along the coast … familiarly known as ‘Biloxi [for the coastal Mississippi town] Bacon.’”
Mullet has often been referred to as “the people’s fish” because it was so readily available and so widely appreciated. It’s eaten by nearly every ethnic community and served at nearly every community gathering in the region. Charlotte Harbor commercial fisherman Alfonso Darna declared back in 1990, “Mullet is all you need.” I’m particularly fond of it when it’s sautéed or broiled with bacon fat. Good grilled over the oak fire at the Roadhouse as well. Michelle Zacks says mullet is “rich, nutty, umami.” I say it’s terrific. Full flavored but not at all strong, mullet is meaty, marvelous, super tasty, and dangerously delicious in the best possible way. If you like fish anywhere near as much as I do, swing by the Roadhouse before the season comes to a close and help lead the way to making mullet the seafood star it has long deserved to be.