Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Cook's Guide entry for Gurnard along with all the Gurnard containing recipes presented on this site, with 5 recipes in total.

This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Gurnard recipes added to this site.

These recipes, all contain Gurnard as a major wild food ingredient.



Gurnard. Gurnards (also called Gurnets) are bottom-feeding scorpaeniform fishes in the family Triglidae (the Sea Robbins) — of which there are eight genera world-wide. They get their name from their large pectoral fins, which, when swimming, open and close like a bird's wings in flight. Most species are around 30–40cm in length. They have an unusually solid skull, and many species also possess armoured plates on the body. Another distinctive feature is the presence of a "drumming muscle" that makes sounds by beating against the swim bladder. When caught, they make a croaking noise similar to a frog, which has given them the onomatopoetic name gurnard. Another distinctive feature of sea robins is that they have six spindly 'legs', three on each side of the body. These are actually flexible spines that were once part of the pectoral fin. Over time, the spines separated themselves from the rest of the fin, developing into feeler-like "forelegs." The pelvic fins have been thought to let the fish "walk" on the bottom, but are really used to stir up food. Sea robins also have sharp spines on their gill plates and dorsal fins that inject a mild poison, causing slight pain for two to three days.

They are good eating and have firm and tender flesh, indeed, aficionados term them the 'chicken of the seas'. However, they are classed as a 'rough fish' and are typically caught when fishing for more desirable species. In European waters there are three main species and they are all good eating.

Red Gurnard The Red Gurnard, Chelidonichthys cuculus (also known as the East Atlantic red gurnard). It is widespread in n the Eastern Atlantic from British Isles (occasionally Norway) to Mauritania (including Madeira and Azores). Also known throughout the Mediterranean and possibly in the Black Sea. Though one of the smaller European gurnards (it typically does not grow to more than 40cm in length) it is one of the most commonly seen in British fish markets. The fish is brightly coloured, being bright red with pinkish-silver mottling on the sides and head. The protective bony plates on the head which are characteristic of all gurnards are very conspicuous in this species. Along the lateral line there is a row of large, plate-like scales. Victorian chefs were particularly fond of the red gurnard.

Tub Gurnard The Tub Gurnard Chelidonichthys lucerna (also C lucernus, Trigla lucerna, T corax and Yellow Gurnard) is the largest of the European gurnards being most common in the Mediterranean Sea (especially the western Mediterranean and the northern Aegean) and the Atlantic Ocean from Norway to Cape Blanc. It is also present, though less common, in the Black Sea, the southern Baltic and the eastern Mediterranean. This species typically reaches a length of 75cm and can reach an age of 15 years. It is typically caught as a bycatch in trawler fishing but in the Mediterranean it is also line caught. This is one of the fish that the Ancient Romans particularly enjoyed. It has a distinctive yellow to orange colouration and the large front fins have a blue border that makes this fish easy to recognize.

Grey Gurnard The Grey Gurnard Eutrigla gurnardus is found in the North East Atlantic. It is a relatively slender bodied gurnard with a sharply pointed snout. Like all gurnards it has a large head covered by protective bony plates and the lower three rays of the pectoral fins are separate and fleshy. Adult fish are usually around 30cm long but large individuals can be up to 45cm. The scales along the lateral line are sharply spined, although this is most conspicuous in small fish. The colour ranges from grey to greyish-brown with small whitish-cream spots and there is a characteristic dark blotch on the rear edge of the first dorsal fin. It is particularly abundant around the coasts of Britain and Ireland and is the most common line-caught gurnard.

All the gurnard species above can be cooked in the same fashion either as whole fish or as fillets. As the flesh is firm, it can be used as a substitute for chicken in a range of recipes. It is suitable for frying, steaming, baking, braising and stewing. Gurnard is particularly suitable for preparing curries and stews.