It’s been recommended that one way to fight the lionfish invasion of the Caribbean is to eat the critters. Well now lionfish is on the menu at at least one hotel in The Bahamas:
With more than 400 servings of a new menu item last month, Bimini Big Game Club’s General Manager Michael Weber and Chef Alvarez Bastian have found a recipe to help the environment in The Bahamas and sate the most discriminating palate at the same time.
The Bimini Big Game Club’s Panko Breaded Lionfish Nuggets are the talk of the island — a gourmand’s answer to a tasty snack and an eco-solution for helping to rid nearby reefs of an aggressive and non-native predator.
“Our lionfish nuggets have become a huge seller, and though we don’t serve endangered species such as grouper and we were the first Bahamas resort to feature a shark free marina, we have absolutely no problem in turning lionfish into a menu item,” said Weber.
…
Weber is quick to admit that turning lionfish into finger food is far from a solution, but with proper cleaning, the lionfish meat is excellent in taste and texture, and any that make it to the table means “they are no longer a threat on the reefs.”
The US federal government’s chief fisheries management agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is in agreement, having developed an Eat Lionfish campaign.
“If you can’t beat them, eat them,” said Weber.
Read more in the full article from Caribbean News Now. Visit the NOAA website to find out more about their Eat Lionfish campaign.
[Photo: via Thomas Hawk]
