Goatfish / Red Mullet Family


Whole Indian Goatfish [Mullet; Family Mullidae]

Goatfish are a family of tropical and temperate marine fish. Often called "Mullet", they are a very popular eating fish in Western and Mediterranean Europe, but are little known in North America. Confusingly, they are not related to the Mullet Family.

More on Varieties of Fish (very large page).


European Red Mullets


Striped Red Mullet [Mullus surmuletus (striped red mullet)   |   also Mullus barbatus (red mullet)]

M. surmuletus and M. barbatus are nearly identical, and both come in various color schemes, not always red. The photo is of M. surmuletus. These are the "Red Mullet" called for in European cookbooks, but you're unlikely to find them in North America. M. barbatus can grow to 13 inches and 1-1/2 pounds. It is found mostly in the western Mediterranean and along the coast of Morocco. M. surmuletus can grow to 15 inches and 2 pounds. It is also found in the Western Mediterranean and the coast of Morocco, but is most common around the British Isles and in the North Sea. Both are usually marketed at between 2-1/2 and 8 ounces. Both are IUCN Red List LC (Least Concern)   Details and Cooking.   Photo by Hans Hillewaert distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5.

Mexican Goatfish


Whole Mexican Goatfish [Mulloidichthys dentatus]

This Eastern Pacific Goatfish is found from Southern California to Peru, but is rare north of the southern tip of Baja and south of Panama. The photo specimen is in its night time colors, during the day it is white with yellow stripes. It is often marketed in its red form, which can be somewhat blotchy. Note that the barbels responsible for the name "goatfish" can be tucked in and may not be visible. These fish can grow to 12 inches but the photo specimen was 11-1/2 inches long and weighed 1l-1/4 ounces. It was purchased from a Philippine market in Los Angeles at 2014 US $7.99 per pound, Labeled "Red Weke / Mexican Goatfish". Red list status: LC (Least Concern).   Details and Cooking.

Two Saddle Goatfish


Whole Two Saddle Goatfish [Ca Phen rau (market); Parupeneus insularis   |   Double-bar Goatfish Parupeneus crassilabris]

This is found in the Pacific from southern Japan to northeastern Australia, around almost all the Pacific Islands, including Hawaii, and a few may be found off the coast of Mexico and Central America. with most other Goatfish, it is only red at night, which is its feeding time. These fish can grow to nearly 12 inches, but the photo specimen was 10-3/4 inches and weighed 9-5/8 ounces. IUCN Red List LC (Least Concern).   Details and Cooking.

Indian Goatfish / Red Mullet


Indian Goatfish [Yellow Spot Goatfish, Parupeneus indicus]

This tropical Indo/Pacific Goatfish is found from the east coast of Africa to the southwest coast of Mexico and as far south as the northern coast of Australia. It adopts a number of color schemes but is often marketd in its red form as "Red Mullet". All have the round dark spot at the tail and a large yellow spot at the lateral line between the two dorsal fins - but in the red form that spot is only faintly visible.

This is a supurb eating fish, but not common here in Southern Califronia. They can grow to nearly 18 inches but fish in my test batch were about 12-1/2 inches long weighing 1 pound. The photo specimen is a bit smaller because the idiots at the market had broken the tails of all the larger fish to fit them in a foam tray that was too small - an outrage that would never happen in the Philippine and Southeast Asian markets here. Red list status: Not Evaluated.   Details and Cooking.

Cinnabar Goatfish


Cinnabar Goatfish [Cá Phèn Râu (Viet); Parupeneus heptacanthus]

This tropical Indo/Pacific Goatfish is found from the east coast of Africa across the Pacific to the west coast of Mexico and South America. Some are as far south as the south coast of Australia and the tip of Africa. It adopts a number of color schemes but is often marketed in its red form, which can be quite blotchy. Note that the barbels responsible for the name "goatfish" can be tucked in and may not be visible. These fish can grow to nearly 14 inches but the photo specimen was 10-3/4 inches long weighing 1l ounces. Red list status: Not Evaluated.   Details and Cooking.

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