Brazilian Bottarga - Tainha Roe is Golden

In the winter months of May and June, the waters off the coast of Brazil's southern state of Santa Catarina teem with enormous schools of tainha, or mullet as it's known in English. They migrate to these waters to escape the colder waters further south and to spawn. They are excellent eating fish, and the fishermen of that state, mostly descendents of Italian, Spanish and Portuguese immigrants, depend on the tainha for a large portion of their income.

Traditionally in Brazil tainha was eaten fried, grilled, baked or in a sauce, and it was the flesh of the fish that was consumed. However, the fact that many of the fish that were caught were gravid with roe meant that a local market grew for the roe, also eaten fresh - primarily fried in oil. The roe (called ova in Portuguese) is exceptionally delicious and delicate, and for descendents of Europeans not an uncommon dish.

Mullet roe happens to be something that's long been eaten in Italy, since Roman times in fact. When this roe is salt-cured and dried it turns to gold - both literally and economically. This product is known in Italy, and increasingly throughout the gastronomic universe, as bottarga. Eaten throughout the Mediterranean world, the hard, salty roe is thinly sliced and served as an appetizer, or grated over pasta dishes. It is considered a luxury item, and good quality bottarga is very expensive indeed.

Historically, the Mediterranean Sea was the source of the mullet roe that was processed into bottarga, but these waters have been extensively fished, and there are insufficient stocks of mullets left for a commercially viable mullet fishery. Consequently, although bottarga is associated in almost everyone's mind with Italy, and Italy consumes the major share of this product, today most bottarga doesn't come from Italy. It comes, instead, from those tainha spawning off the shores of southern Brazil. Just as most Dijon mustard originates from Canadian mustard seed, and the durum sheat for most Italian pasta also arrives in Italy direct from the wheat-fields of the Canadian prairie, Italian bottarga is much more likely to be Brazilian than Italian.

Back in the late 1950s a family of Brazilian of European origin with the (somewhat unfortunate) name of Fuck - I'm not making this up - began working in the fish industry in Santa Catarina, and their company grew to become a large producer of fresh and processed fish products. Realizing the commercial potential of their huge harvest of mullet roe, the company's current commercial director, Bernardo Fuck, decided to produce bottarga for export, and to develop a domestic market in Brazil for bottarga. In their plant in Itajaí, Santa Catarina, they currently produce up to 50 kgs. monthly of the delicacy, salting and drying it in their own facilities. They commercialize the product under the name Bottarga Gold, and have developed markets for the product both in Brazil and overseas. Their market slogan is "Bottarga Gold - Brazil's Own True Caviar."

Bottarga will likely always be a luxury product, and will always be expensive. Fortunately, a little goes a very long way, and under refrigeration, bottarga has a shelf-life of nearly a year. Should you find some in your local gourmet store or high-end fish shop, look to see where it comes from - it could very well be Brazilian.

In the next post here on Flavors of Brazil I'll include a typical Italian recipe for bottarga on pasta.

RECIPE - Mullet with beans (Tainha cozida no feijão)

This recipe from the state of Santa Catarina features tainha (mullet) which abounds in the waters off that state during the winter months of May and June. It's an easy recipe, although it does take some time because it uses dried beans. As with many other fish recipes, it can easily be adapted to whatever species of fish is available in your region. Just pick a firm-fleshed fish that can be bought in steaks (postas in Portuguese). This is not a dish for fillets of fish, nor for fish that flake easily, like cod or sole. Halibut isn't available here in Brazil, but I think that halibut steaks would make an admirable substitute for the Brazilian tainha. If you live near tropical or temperate waters, for example in Florida, you should be able to find mullet in your local fish markets.
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RECIPE - Mullet with beans (Tainha cozida no feijão)
Serves 4

1 1/2 cup dried beans - white navy, pinto or black
2 Tbsp. neutral vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt to taste
8 cups (2l) water
2 lbs (1 kg) mullet or other white fish, cut into steaks
1/3 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
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The night before soak the beans in plenty of water, at room temperature, for 12 hours.

The next day, in a large heavy saucepan, heat the oil, then add the onion and garlic and sauté until they are transparent by not browned. Add the beans and 4 cups (1l) water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until the water is absorbed. Add the remaining 4 cups (1l) water and continue to cook the beans over low heat for approximately 40 minutes, or until the beans are tender.

Season the fish steaks with salt, carefully add the steaks to the cooked beans, mix in the parsley and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the fish is cooked but not falling apart.

Serve immediately accompanied by white rice.


Translated and adapted from Cozinha Regional Brasileira by Abril Editora

FISH OF BRAZIL - Tainha (Mullet)

Tainha is the Brazilian Portuguese name for the fish known in English as the mullet. Fortunately, confusion has been avoided here because the word tainha in Portuguese only refers to a species of fish and not to a haircut as well. The mullet haircut has become the butt of so many jokes in the English-speaking world that I'm sure mullets (the fish) would be quite happy if they were allowed to change their name to something that hasn't become a catchphrase for a hideous hairdo.

Mullets are found in temperate and tropical ocean waters around the world. One of the world's largest populations is in the Atlantic waters off the coast of the southern Brazilian states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. For most of the year enormous shoals of mullets live off the coast of Rio Grando do Sul, but in the months of May and June they migrate north to Santa Catarina in search of warmer water and suitable spawning grounds. The most important commercial fishery for tainha is during this season, and the ports of Santa Catarina receive the bulk of the fish for processing.

Traditionally there was a large Mediterranean fishery for mullets, in fact since Roman times, particularly in the seas off of Italy where the fish is known as triglia. In recent years this fishery has diminished due to the disappearance of mullet stocks. Overfishing is the suspected cause. Many Italian immigrants to Brazil settled in Santa Catarina in the late 19th and early 20th century, and already being familiar with the fish made the tainha an important part of local cuisine. Today tainha is the fish that is most appreciated in Santa Catarina and the species that is most associated with the cooking of that state, in particular with the cooking of its Italo-Brazilian community.