D’han al hût

🐟 Mullet fat slowly rendered from fatty tissues and used sparingly as a condiment.

Ingredients

• 🐟 700 g fresh fatty mullet trimmings, purchased for food use from a trusted fishmonger
• 💧 1.2 litres potable water, plus a little extra hot water if the pot reduces too much
• 🧼 Clean equipment: knife, board reserved for fish, slotted spoon, fine strainer and small food-safe container

Preparation

📦 Buy the trimmings the same day from a trusted seller. Ask them to identify the fish and confirm that the pieces are intended for food; keep the fish cold on the way home and until preparation. Do not use damaged pieces, fish with an unusual smell, or anything whose cold chain is uncertain.

🧼 Wash your hands and prepare a board reserved for raw fish. Cut the fatty tissues into pieces about 2 cm wide with a clean knife. Remove soiled parts, scales and anything that is not edible tissue; do not rinse raw fish under a splashing stream.

🍲 Put the pieces in a heavy pot and add 1.2 litres of potable water, just enough to cover them. Bring to a boil, then immediately lower the heat. The liquid should simmer gently, not boil violently; partly cover the pot to limit splashing while letting steam escape.

⏳ Cook at a very gentle simmer for 70 minutes, stirring the bottom every 10 minutes with a clean spoon. If the liquid level falls and the tissues begin to stick, add a little hot water. Do not let the pot dry out: the aim is slow extraction, not frying or browning.

🫗 After 70 minutes, look at the surface. Lift off the fat that has gathered there with a slotted spoon and place it in a clean bowl. Continue cooking for 20 minutes, then skim again. The amount and color vary with the fish; do not force a yield by turning up the heat.

🧺 Turn off the heat and let the bubbling subside for 10 minutes. Slowly strain the liquid through a fine strainer set over a heat-safe container; keep the solid scraps separate. Do not press the scraps with your hands or return particles to the filtered oil.

🧊 To separate the fat from the watery liquid, let the container cool away from animals and move it promptly to the refrigerator. When the fat has set on top, lift it off with a clean spoon. This home-cooking adaptation is not a verified traditional preservation method or a canning process.

🍽️ Use a small spoonful the same day to season a cooked grain or thoroughly cooked fish dish. Keep any remainder cold in a clean, covered container, use it promptly according to the seller’s advice, and discard it if its smell, color or appearance is unusual. Never store it at room temperature.