Dried and semi-processed mullet roe — known as bottarga in Mediterranean markets — is a high-value culinary specialty, but frozen mullet roe in its unprocessed state is classified here as a raw seafood ingredient. The product is sourced from grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) fisheries in the Mediterranean, East Asia, and parts of Latin America, and serves as the primary input for bottarga production. FDA's seafood HACCP program applies at entry, requiring prior notice and documentation from an approved foreign establishment. Importers should confirm that the product's state of processing at time of entry — frozen and unprocessed versus salted or dried — determines whether it belongs in this heading or in a prepared-fish chapter.

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