Soused Mullet

4 small mullet, cleaned and thoroughly scaled
I onion, peeled and sliced
2 bay leaves
1 clove
4 allspice berries or peppercorns
I teaspoon salt
120 ml/4 11 oz vinegar
water, to cover

Remove the fish heads, cut off the fillets and remove any bones. Place slices of onion on the centre of each fillet and roll up, skin side out, front head to tail and fix with a cocktail stick.

Place the rolled fish in a heavy fiameproolcasserole or pot with the bay leaves, clove, allspice or peppercorns and salt. Pour over the vinegar and just cover with water. Cover and cook over a low heat for 1 to 11/2 hours or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Transfer the fish to a deep serving dish so that the fish can be covered with liquid. Strain over sufficient cooking liquid to cover the fish. Cool, then chill in the refrigerator, where the liquor will set into a soft jelly