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Creamy shredded fish and bacon salad with crispy fried wonton triangles, red pepper flakes

‘Biloxi Bacon’ (Striped Mullet)

Chef’s notes
“May the mullet brown in abundance upon his frying pan.”
-Traditional Biloxi, Mississippi, Blessing

In our recent Trash Fish Tuesday: Striped Mullet article, we celebrated the deep Southeastern tradition of catching, cooking, and sharing mullet. The once-staple and newly trending fish is local, sustainable, healthy, versatile, easy to catch and easy to clean, and damn tasty. So, if you’re finally ready to eat more mullet, check out two of our favorite recipes from Chef Ricky Herring at Twisted Magnolia. Fried mullet is as simple and down-home as it gets. And, smoked mullet dip is fancy enough fare for any occasion. So, get out. Get some. And, put a little South in ya mouth.

Ingredients

Momma’s Favorite: Fried Mullet

“This was a staple growing up,” Chef Ricky said, “and still my mother’s favorite fish.”

  • 10-15 mullet fillets, skins off
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup hot sauce
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • Fry oil
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Food Truck Top-Seller: Smoked Mullet Dip

“It sells out as fast as I can make it,” Chef Ricky said.

  • 10-15 whole mullet
  • 1 bell pepper
  • 1 onion
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp. bacon grease
  • 1 cup mayo
  • 8 oz. cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup hot sauce
  • 1/2 lb. butter (melted)
  • Salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning (Tony Cachere, Konriko, Zatarains, Richard’s, or SLAP YA MAMA) to taste

Preparation

Fried Mullet

  1. Rinse the fillets. In a small bowl, mix the milk and hot sauce. Add fillets to the milk mixture and let them soak for 15 minutes.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour and cornmeal. Season to taste.
  3. Add oil to the skillet or fryer and heat to 350° F. Once the oil is hot, remove the fillets from the milk mixture and batter them in the flour/cornmeal mixture.
  4. Add the battered fillets to a skillet or fryer and cook them for 3-4 minutes. Once the fillets are crispy, remove them from the oil and serve.

Smoked Mullet Dip

  1. Fillet the mullet. Leave skin and scales on. Rinse the fillets and arrange flesh up for seasoning.Using your basting brush, coat the fillets with butter. Lightly season fillets with salt and pepper.
  2. Light the smoker to get the wood smoking. Align the fillets evenly on the smoker and cook at 200° F for about one hour. Note: They’re done when they are firm to the touch and still juicy.
  3. While the fillets are smoking, roughly chop the bell pepper, onion, celery, and garlic. Sauté the chopped vegetables until soft.
  4. In a large bowl, combine the mayo, cream cheese, sautéed vegetables, and hot sauce. Mix well.
  5. Once the fillets are done, take them from the smoker and let rest a few minutes. Once cool, pull the meat and add it to a bowl. No scales, skin, or bones allowed. Mix well and season to taste.
  6. Serve the dip warm or cold with chips.

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Save this recipe

‘Biloxi Bacon’ (Striped Mullet)

Recipe by: Shane Townsend
Creamy shredded fish and bacon salad with crispy fried wonton triangles, red pepper flakes
Chef’s notes
“May the mullet brown in abundance upon his frying pan.”
-Traditional Biloxi, Mississippi, Blessing

In our recent Trash Fish Tuesday: Striped Mullet article, we celebrated the deep Southeastern tradition of catching, cooking, and sharing mullet. The once-staple and newly trending fish is local, sustainable, healthy, versatile, easy to catch and easy to clean, and damn tasty. So, if you’re finally ready to eat more mullet, check out two of our favorite recipes from Chef Ricky Herring at Twisted Magnolia. Fried mullet is as simple and down-home as it gets. And, smoked mullet dip is fancy enough fare for any occasion. So, get out. Get some. And, put a little South in ya mouth.

Ingredients

Momma’s Favorite: Fried Mullet

“This was a staple growing up,” Chef Ricky said, “and still my mother’s favorite fish.”

  • 10-15 mullet fillets, skins off
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup hot sauce
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • Fry oil
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Food Truck Top-Seller: Smoked Mullet Dip

“It sells out as fast as I can make it,” Chef Ricky said.

  • 10-15 whole mullet
  • 1 bell pepper
  • 1 onion
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp. bacon grease
  • 1 cup mayo
  • 8 oz. cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup hot sauce
  • 1/2 lb. butter (melted)
  • Salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning (Tony Cachere, Konriko, Zatarains, Richard’s, or SLAP YA MAMA) to taste

Preparation

Fried Mullet

  1. Rinse the fillets. In a small bowl, mix the milk and hot sauce. Add fillets to the milk mixture and let them soak for 15 minutes.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour and cornmeal. Season to taste.
  3. Add oil to the skillet or fryer and heat to 350° F. Once the oil is hot, remove the fillets from the milk mixture and batter them in the flour/cornmeal mixture.
  4. Add the battered fillets to a skillet or fryer and cook them for 3-4 minutes. Once the fillets are crispy, remove them from the oil and serve.

Smoked Mullet Dip

  1. Fillet the mullet. Leave skin and scales on. Rinse the fillets and arrange flesh up for seasoning.Using your basting brush, coat the fillets with butter. Lightly season fillets with salt and pepper.
  2. Light the smoker to get the wood smoking. Align the fillets evenly on the smoker and cook at 200° F for about one hour. Note: They’re done when they are firm to the touch and still juicy.
  3. While the fillets are smoking, roughly chop the bell pepper, onion, celery, and garlic. Sauté the chopped vegetables until soft.
  4. In a large bowl, combine the mayo, cream cheese, sautéed vegetables, and hot sauce. Mix well.
  5. Once the fillets are done, take them from the smoker and let rest a few minutes. Once cool, pull the meat and add it to a bowl. No scales, skin, or bones allowed. Mix well and season to taste.
  6. Serve the dip warm or cold with chips.