Dishes
Mullet roe fried rice
烏魚子炒飯
Also called: 烏魚子 (oo-hî-tsí) · wuyuzi · karasumi fried rice
Fried rice tossed with crumbs of salted, dried mullet roe.
Photo: Chien Chih-Hung / Office of the President (中華民國總統府), CC BY 2.0
Photo: Michael Rehfeldt, CC BY 2.0
Photo: polarpila, CC BY-SA 2.0What it is
Wuyuzi is grey mullet roe that has been salted and dried, similar to Japanese karasumi and Mediterranean bottarga but softer. Chopped into fried rice, it adds a salty, savoury richness.
Where it comes from
Wild mullet migrate south from mainland China to spawn off Taiwan's south-west coast in winter, around the winter solstice, which is when local roe is made. Catches have fallen since the 1990s, so much roe now comes from imports or pond-farmed fish.
How it is made
The roe sacs are rinsed, salt-cured and dried in the sun or air. For fried rice, the roe is chopped into small crumbs and tossed through dry, separate grains.
How to eat it
In a seafood meal, this is the rice dish. Served on its own, mullet roe is grilled briefly and sliced. One method flames it with kaoliang liquor first.
In Tainan
At Black-faced Spoonbill Canteen in Qigu, TVBS reports that nearly every table orders the mullet roe fried rice.
Where to eat it in Tainan
Sources