Grey gurnard, the most common of the gurnards. Gurnards are strange-looking, bottom-feeding fish which use the three bottom rays of their pectoral fins to "feel" the sea bed. They have firm-textured white meat with not much flavour. They are rich in protein, iodine and phosphorus. The grey gurnard has a brownish-grey back and silver belly and all gurnards are very bony fish. Small ones are excellent in soup. Red or grey mullet (US: striped mullet) can generally be subsituted for it, and are usually better.