MENU dorset issue 16 MENU16..dorset pdf issue 16 | Page 12

 P
Dorset
L E N T Y 
late:
P
rt ar to
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From P Gu
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It’s not the prettiest fish on the counter but worth embracing. Maybe dim the lights first…
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t has a face only a mother could
love. It must surely avoid swimming
past mirror carp. But gurnard is
actually one of the tastiest and most
sustainable fish you can find. It has
been championed by chefs in the last
five years or so and found its way onto
the menu at top restaurants.
Also known as sea robins due to the
way their large pectoral fins look like a
bird’s wings, there are three different
types of gurnard – grey, red and
yellow or tub. Red gurnard is the most
common. They live on the seabed and
uses their narrow spiny fin to stir up
food from the sediment. They have
the ability to emit grunts using their
swim bladder muscles and it’s thought
they use their growls to keep the
school together during spawning.
At one time gurnard was used as
crab and lobster bait but crustacea’s
loss is our gain because this fish’s
firm white flesh is now valued for
its delicate but earthy flavour. It’s
definitely a fish you want your
fishmonger to tackle first though. The
spiky fins can cut your hands and it’s
bony, although they can be used for a
soup or stock.
No less a fish authority than Hugh
Fearnley-Whittingstall recommends
roasting it whole or cooking fillets
in a foil parcel where you can infuse
them with Asian flavours. Rick Stein,
meanwhile, has served it in beef
dripping in his fish and chip shop,
with sweet and sour onions in his
Mediterranean Escapes book and you
can use it in a version of his famous
Indonesian seafood curry too. Its firm
flesh holds up well in any fish stew or
bouillabaisse in fact.
Let’s just hope the gurnard’s
newfound popularity doesn’t result in
it becoming unsustainable like some of
its better-looking rivals.
www.menu-dorset.co.uk