Gurnard

What Is Gurnard (Kırlangıç Balığı)?

Gurnard (Chelidonichthys lucerna and relatives) is a large-headed, cone-bodied rocky-sandy bottom fish, known internationally as "gurnard." Its most distinctive feature is its wide, colorful pectoral fins that open like bird wings.

Its firm, white, low-fat flesh is highly prized; since its large head and bones give fish soup an intense flavor, it is one of the top choices for soup-making fish. Care must be taken when cleaning due to the sharp spines on its head and fins.

Nutritional Value of Gurnard

Like lean white fish, gurnard contains approximately 90 kcal of energy and high protein per 100 g; since no verified species-specific USDA data exists, the values are given approximately from a similar profile.

What Are the Benefits of Gurnard?

With its high-quality protein and low fat content, gurnard can be considered part of a balanced diet; its firm flesh makes soups nourishing.

This information is general; gurnard is a food, not a substitute for medical treatment.

How to Choose Gurnard

Fresh gurnard is a fish with bright eyes, red gills, firm flesh, and a sea scent. The colors of its pectoral fins should be vivid.

• Eyes should be bright and plump, gills red
• Fin colors should be vivid, flesh firm
• Sea scent should be clean; care should be taken with its spines

How to Store Gurnard

Fresh gurnard is stored in the coldest part of the refrigerator, on ice, for 1–2 days; once cleaned, it can be kept in the freezer for months in an airtight bag.

Using Gurnard in the Kitchen

Gurnard is used most often in fish soup, as well as steamed, baked, and grilled. Its head and bones, strained after boiling, give an intense fish stock (fumet).

How Is Gurnard Fish Soup Made?

Gurnard is boiled with vegetables and strained to obtain an intense fish stock; a flour-egg tempering and the fish flesh are added to this stock to prepare a rich soup.

How Is Gurnard Cleaned?

The hard spines on the head and fins are cut off with scissors, then the scales are scraped off, the innards removed, and it is washed thoroughly under running water; using gloves prevents being pricked.

Which Recipes Use Gurnard?

Fish soup with gurnard, steamed gurnard, and baked gurnard with vegetables are its best-known uses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is gurnard good for soup?

Since its large head and bones give the water an intense flavor when boiled, and its firm flesh doesn't fall apart, it is one of the prized fish for fish soup.

What are gurnard's "wings"?

They are its wide, colorful pectoral fins; since they open like bird wings when it swims, it got the name "gurnard" (kırlangıç, meaning swallow).

Can gurnard be grilled?

Yes; large specimens can be cleaned and cooked on the grill or in the oven too; its white flesh is tasty.

In which season is gurnard found?

Its most flavorful season is winter and spring; it lives near sandy and rocky bottoms.