Red mullet:professional buying guide, season, size grades, rouget de roche or rouget de vase

01

Buying sheet

National rhythm of auction sales (FranceAgriMer, 2024); it varies from one port to another. Tonnage and shares calculated by the editorial team from the sales declared at French fish auctions in 2024 (FranceAgriMer, report published on 6 June 2025), "rouget barbet" line: Sète and Le Grau-du-Roi also declare "rouget de vase", counted separately. Minimum size: Regulation (EU) 2019/1241. Trade names: DGCCRF list.

02

When to buy red mullet?

In 2024, French fish auctions sold about 260 tonnes of it in May, the biggest month of the year, then nearly 200 tonnes in October, against less than 80 tonnes in February and March. The price does the opposite: at its highest in March and in summer, at its lowest from October to December. In 2023, the autumn high point had even exceeded the spring one. For a menu, autumn is the best window: volume, varied size grades and low prices.

03

Why does the price vary so much from one fish auction to another?

This is what sets red mullet apart. In 2024, its average auction price varied threefold from one fish auction to another (FranceAgriMer):

On a price list, a "rouget" with no size grade or fishing method therefore compares with nothing: ask for both.

04

How to judge the freshness of a red mullet?

• Bright, shiny red skin; striped red mullet has yellow stripes along its sides.
• Scales in place: they come off at the slightest rub, a red mullet that has lost its scales has been badly handled.
• Bulging, clear eye; bright red gills.
• Firm belly: red mullet is not always gutted, a soft belly betrays a tired fish.

05

Which traps to avoid?

• Gurnard. Also red, sold cheaper, it has a large bony head and a much lower yield. It is not a red mullet.
• Roche or vase. Rouget de vase has a steeper head profile and flesh considered less fine. The scientific name on the label decides.
• Mixed size grades. For a regular plate, demand a sorted batch.

06

What to replace red mullet with?

07

What makes the price of red mullet move?

Year 2024, all French fish auctions: average first-sale price at the auction hall (FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions, workbook published on 2 July 2026). The workbook groups rouget de roche and rouget de vase under "rouget-barbet": 1,790 t in 2024, including rouget de vase from Sète and Le Grau-du-Roi, hence an average slightly below the €6.53/kg for red mullet alone quoted above. Spread between auctions: among those handling at least 5% of volumes; at Sète and Le Grau-du-Roi, this is rouget de vase. The auction price is not the price paid to the fish merchant: processing, transport and margin are added to it.

The price of red mullet moves against its landings. In February and March 2024, with 83 then 90 t sold at auction (rouget de vase included), it was above €8/kg; in May, the busiest month (284 t), it fell back below €6/kg, and in October (232 t) it hit its lowest of the year. Summer is the exception: in July and August, sales stay around 120 to 130 t, but the price climbs back above €8/kg. 2025 shows the same profile, with October still the cheapest month and March the most expensive. Between the large fish auctions, the spread is narrow (about €1.40/kg); the very large spreads in the previous table are found at smaller auctions, without the workbook saying what explains them (size, gear, local outlets).

• The season: more expensive in late winter and in summer, cheaper in autumn.
• The size: large red mullet, scarcer, cost markedly more per kilo.
• The species: rouget de roche above rouget de vase.
• The fishing method: net and line above trawl.
• Boulogne-sur-Mer: with more than a quarter of national sales, its landings make the market. In 2024, they fell by 29% and the average price there rose by 41%.