Food People
EAT ’EM TO BEAT ’EM: LIONFISH CUISINE PUTS AN INVASIVE SPECIES ON THE DINNER TABLE In Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida, local chefs, conservationists, marine biologists, and tourism officials are working to turn an environmental threat into culinary and recreational gold Eric Lucas
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Alex Fogg, marine biologist and local “lionfish guy,” is working with the tourism bureau to fight invasive lionfish in the Gulf of Mexico.
During an you make a silk Lionfish Restaurant purse from a sow’s ear? Week, local The citizens of Destin-Fort Walton Beach (DFWB), Flor- chefs highlight the fish on ida, are trying. In this case, their menus.
the dubious item is an invasive, rapacious Asian fish that has mushroomed along both coasts of Florida, across the Caribbean, and into the Atlantic as far south The winner of as Brazil—the lionfish. the Emerald Coast Open Lionfish reproduce exponentially. Their voracious behavior is a gets a trophy and $10,000. threat to native fish stocks and reef life. They have no natural predators. And they’re really good to eat. “Definitely a silver lining, right?” said Parker Destin, local restaurateur, community leader, and a sixth-generation descendant of the settler whose name the city bears. “Lionfish is one of the best Lionfish Dinner: flaky white fish you could serve. If Lionfish Restaurant Week is I could have it on the menu every May 8 through day, I would. Take something bad May 14. and make it into something good.” But lionfish cuisine presents sev- The “Mane” Event: eral problems. First and foremost, The main tourthey don’t readily lend themselves nament will be to commercial fishing. As solitary held on May 13 reef predators, hook-and-line won’t and May 14. work—“Think I’ve seen a lionfish Festive on the line twice in 10 years,” re- Lionizing: ported another area restaurateur The waterand wholesale fishmonger, Eddie front Lionfish Morgan. They aren’t school fish, Awareness and so netting and trawling not only Removal Day wouldn’t work, but it would dam- Festival on May 14 and May 15 age seabeds and reefs. The only practical way to harvest will offer tastings, lionfish is by hand—spearfishing. fileting demos, and more. Doing so requires scuba and spearfishing gear. Diving is no walk in And the the park. And a special bonus is- Winner Is: sue is that lionfish have venomous The final weigh-in takes spines, complicating the process place on May 15. of cleaning your catch (best to snip EmeraldCoasthem off with scissors). tOpen.com DFWB’s answer is to try to make
EMERALD COAST OPEN
to show up in Southeast saltwaters. “We aren’t hoping to wipe out lionfish; that’s impossible,” said Alex Fogg, a marine biologist who’s working with the area’s tourism bureau. “But dedicated harvesting can definitely have a beneficial impact in localized areas, helping native fishes recover, and if we manage that, great.” So how do you cook it? Destin and Morgan report that it’s great simply grilled, deep-fried, or pan-roasted. Morgan likens it to cod or haddock. “Makes great sushi, too,” Morgan said; his Harbor Docks restaurant includes a sushi bar. “We do face some resistance from customers due to unfamiliarity, but if you can get them to try it, they love it.” Eric Lucas is a retired associate editor at Alaska Beyond Magazine and lives on a small farm on a remote island north of Seattle.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP L: COURTESY OF DESTIN-FORT WALTON BEACH; COURTNEY PLATT; COURTESY OF DESTIN-FORT WALTON BEACH
66 I N S I G H T May 6–12, 2022
the problem a visitor attraction: Lure tourists to the area for lionfish hunting. Thus the city began hosting the annual Emerald Coast Open Lionfish Tournament, now in its third year. The most prolific spearfisher gets $10,000; there’s also a $5,000 prize for the biggest fish. The week leading up to the tournament, six local restaurants will feature lionfish on their menus—largely using fish caught during a “pre-tournament” event ongoing since early February. Last year, the event drew 100 spearfishing participants and 7,000 people to the accompanying festival and eradicated 14,000 lionfish. Although just mid-size—18 inches—mature lionfish are conspicuous, with vividly patterned long fins jutting out at all angles. Like many invasives, they were and still are sold to Americans for decorative purposes—in this case, for aquariums. Sometime in the 1980s, they began
