Species sheet · The Edible Ocean
Red gurnard
Fan-shaped fins and an armoured head.
- In fish soup or bouillabaisse
- Oven-grilled whole
- Pan-fried with garlic and parsley
- In French
- Grondin
- Scientific name
- Chelidonichthys cuculus
- In the water
- A demersal fish of sandy and muddy bottoms in the north-east Atlantic and Mediterranean, usually between 15 and 400 m.
- Season & buying
- Present year-round; choose fresh fish with intact fins.
- Common length
- ~27.6 cm
- How to identify it
- Large fan-shaped pectoral fin
Broad bony head
Reddish colouring on the back
On the plate
Fine, faintly sweet and lean flesh.
Avoid: Overcooking: the flesh is best just done.
It uses the first three rays of its pectoral fins like fingers to feel the seabed and detect prey.
In Umay recipes
3 Umay recipes call for it.
