Species sheet · The Edible River
Gudgeon
The little king of riverside fry-ups.
- Deep-fried, floured and dropped in hot oil
- In light fritters
- Fried then marinated escabeche-style
- In French
- Goujon
- Scientific name
- Gobio gobio
- In the water
- A small bottom fish of European rivers and streams, in bands over the sand and gravel of the margins, rooting through the bed for larvae.
- Season & buying
- Caught from late spring to autumn; a fry-up of gudgeon is a fair-weather dish eaten at the water's edge.
- Common length
- ~12 cm
- How to identify it
- Two barbels at the corners of the mouth
Mottled brown back, row of dark blotches along the flank
Rounded body, broad head, glossy scales
On the plate
White, fine and mild flesh that crisps up whole in the fryer.
Avoid: Frying it in lukewarm oil: it soaks up fat and goes limp. Very hot oil, small batches, salt as it comes out.
Fried gudgeon from the dance-hall taverns on the Marne fed the boating crowds the Impressionists painted into museums.
In Umay recipes
One Umay recipe calls for it.
