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Fish, Crustaceans & Cephalopods

Beche De Mer
(Sea Cucumber)

Red Gurnard Chelidonichthys kumu, New Zealand - Gumard, Australia - Gumard, Latchett, Japan - Haubau, France - Grandin rauget, Germany - Knurrhahn Rater, Greece - Kapani, Italy - Gallinella, Capane imperiale, Spain - Galina, Arete, Rubias

Red Gurnards are a bycatch species from demersal trawling.  They are also caught with Danish seines, longlines and gillnets.

Family: Triglidae (gurnards)

They are also found in New Zealand, South Africa, Japan and China.   They mostly inhabit shallow coastal waters over sandy substrates, but have been reported from shelf waters to 180m depth. 

Spawning appears to take place in summer and larvae are found off eastern Tasmania in late January.  Juveniles inhabit inshore nursery areas.  Both males and females are mature at 20-24cm fork length, when they are 2-3 years old.  Red Gurnards live for over 10 years, growing to 60cm length and about 3 kg.

Red Gurnards are sold whole chilled on domestic markets.

Average length 12-20 inches, average weight 1 to 3.5 pounds. Found in coastal waters around New Zealand, southern Australia, South Africa and Japan. Reddish pink, sometimes brownish above, and white below. Large bluish green pectoral fins each with one dark spot and several small white spots. Its color pattern and very small scales distinguish this species from other gurnards. Widespread all around New Zealand on sand and sandy shell seabeds to depth of 150 meters. Caught all year round, mainly by trawling. A moderate resource. The related spotted gurnard is much less common and the much smaller scaly gurnard is not a commercial species.
Flesh firm, pink, medium to low fat content and suitable for most methods of cooking. Scales too small to need removing.

RELATED SPECIES: Spotted gurnard: Pterygatrigla picta, Scaly gurnard: Lepidotrigla brachyoptera

Did you know?
The name Gurnard or gurnet is derived from the French verb grogner, which means "to grunt," the name refers to the sound produced by the swim bladder when the fish is removed from the water.

Cooking Red Gurnard:

Nutritional Value
Gurnard is rich in potassium and calcium.

Preparing
Remove the spiny fins to prevent injuries. Leave the fish whole, or cut it into fillets or sections. The skin is easy to remove.

Cooking
Gurnard tends to dry out if it is cooked at extremely high temperatures. When grilling or baking gurnard with the skin on, brush it generously with oil or a marinade to protect the fragile skin. The gurnard is often added to bouillabaisse and matelote. It is delicious when baked, poached, fried, or smoked.

Fillets: Succulent, medium-textured flesh with low oil content. Rather slender, tapering gently. Firm to medium pink flesh, low in fat content and suitable fro most cooking methods.

Commercial Fishing For Red Gurnard

The fishing method used for Red Gurnard is longliners.