Often known as the ‘woodcock of the sea’, because it can be cooked and eaten without gutting – its liver being much prized – this is a striking fish to look at. Its back is a beautiful pinky-red colour with strips of yellow, fading to almost white across the belly. Its scales are large and must be removed before cooking.

The French name ‘rouget’ is often applied to a few different types of fish because of their red colouring; one is the red gurnard, which is not of the same quality as mullet but can be used in any mullet recipe. Red gurnard is an under-rated fish in my opinion, and it is much cheaper in price, for the time being anyway.