Taiwan's Lunar New Year is approaching fast. One seafood dish that will always appear on the table is the dense and rich mullet roe. However, this delicacy now comes with a heftier price tag due to warmer winter temperatures.
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It can be deep fried, pan fried, grilled, or eaten right out of the package — this is Taiwan's salty and briny delicacy known as the mullet roe, or wu yu tzu (烏魚子). The salt-cured roe is packed with umami flavors and is often a must-have during the Lunar New Year as many believe it brings good fortunes.
However, enjoying the fish's golden eggs this year comes with a heftier price tag. This year's warmer winter temperatures led to a decrease in roe production across the mullet population and affected the quality of the eggs.
On top of that, fishers used to have no limits on fishing mullets. This led to overfishing that dramatically decreased the number of mature mullets.
One fisher says the smaller supply of roe will drive up the price due to the integral role it plays in Taiwanese culture. He says he once caught nearly 2,000 mullets and raked in NT$500,000 (US$16,000). However, the harvest also depends on their luck with sea conditions that day.
Mullets follow the ocean currents to Taiwan's southeastern coast from December to January. Fishers are now eagerly harvesting the roe to take advantage of this lucrative opportunity.
Nowadays, mullet roe can be enjoyed all year round, but whether they can be enjoyed for many generations to come depends on how well we care for our environment.