With the strongest cold front so far this year hitting Taiwan, mullet are swimming southwards, and the first load this winter has arrived just off the coast of New Taipei City’s Tamsui District. Wild mullet is a gourmet favorite, despite commanding a price several times that of the farmed variety. Mullet fishing boats along Chiayi County’s coastal towns of Dongshih and Budai are preparing to take to sea any time now, hoping for a big catch as an “annual bonus.”
Each year, around 10 days either side of the winter solstice, mullet travel southwards from the Yellow Sea through the Taiwan Strait to the South China Sea to spawn. They first appeared off Matsu 13 days before the winter solstice, which falls on Dec. 21 — today — this year. In the past few days, the daily catch has been in the thousands, and as much as 10,000 or more. One lucky fishing crew netted 4,000 fish in a single catch, worth around NT$1 million (US$35,463).
Apart from mullet roe, the most valuable part of the fish, mullet is rich in nutrition, as well as being delicious. Mullet is rich in protein, vitamin B12 and oil, and the flesh can be classed as medium-fat, of which 50 to 70 percent is unsaturated fatty acid, making the fish a good source of fat.
Photo: Lin Kuo-hsien, Liberty Times 照片：自由時報記者林國賢
Mullet milt is soft and rich in taste, and gourmands are fond of the unique taste of mullet gizzard, the mullet’s stomach sac. According to mullet wholesaler Chang Chin-kuo, mullet milt goes for NT$400 to NT$500 per Taiwan catty, mullet gizzard for NT$600 to NT$700, and the mullet shell (mullet with roe, milt and gizzards removed) NT$80 to NT$100. They are in high demand for their limited availability and great taste.
(Translated by Lin Lee-kai, Taipei Times)
入冬最強冷空氣來襲，烏魚群也隨之南下，目前先鋒烏魚已抵達淡水外海。野生烏魚為饕客最愛，即便其價格是養殖烏魚的好幾倍，依舊炙手可熱。嘉義沿海東石、布袋捕烏船完成整備，待烏魚群抵達，就要出港賺筆年終「烏金財」。
Photo: Tang Shih-ming, Liberty Times 照片：自由時報記者湯世名
烏魚約每年冬至前後十天從黃海南下穿越台灣海峽至南海產卵。今年冬至（十二月二十一日）前十三天就在馬祖海域現蹤，這幾天每日捕獲量約數千隻至逾萬隻，有一艘漁船下網，幸運捕獲四千多尾，入帳百萬元。
烏魚全身除最有價值的烏魚卵，其餘部位富營養價值，且美味可口，烏魚肉富含蛋白質、維生素B12、脂肪，且脂肪屬中脂肉類，其中五至七成為不飽和脂肪酸，是好的油脂來源。
烏魚膘則是口感軟嫩、味道濃郁；烏魚腱為烏魚胃囊，老饕對其獨特風味情有獨鍾。烏魚盤商張金國說，烏魚膘大盤價每台斤四百至五百元、魚腱六百至七百元、烏魚殼（已移除魚子、魚膘、魚腱等之魚身）八十至一百元，因數量有限，口感一級棒，相當搶手。
（自由時報記者蔡宗勳）
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