Lionfish Solutions: Eat Thine Enemy

Juvenile invasive Pterois volitans lionfish in the Caribbean. NOAA Photo.

Marine biologists and environmentally active ordinary citizens are taking things into their own hands to battle a spreading invasion of Indo-Pacific lionfish in the Bahamas and Caribbean, as CORAL correspondent Eg Haag reports from the Virgin Islands in the July/August issue of CORAL.

In the Bahamas, for example, Maurice "Mo Jo" White is organizing lionfish hunts followed by Bahamian Fish Fries using a growing collection of recipes he has assembled. A favorite is his Grilled Lemon-Pepper Lionfish Wrap, and he has recipes online for Lionfish Ceviche, Jerky, Sushi, Poppers, Fingers, and more.

"The lionfish wrap is so good and so easy to make," says White. "It is a hit with everyone. I often have dinners over at my house where I compare three favorite fish ( grouper, snapper, jack) to lionfish and everyone will choose the lionfish over the others." The lionfish is a super-white clean meat without any fishy taste (like chicken when cooked right). 

"Lionfish are not caught too often on bottom rigs and never on trolling rigs. The best way to catch lionfish is get in the water and hunt them down. They are very easy to spear cause they just sit there as you approach them. A friend of mine compared it to shooting a sea fan.

"I once speared a lionfish and put it in front of a spotted moray eel and it devoured the lionfish in seconds, so maybe there are some natural predators around that we have not discovered yet."
 

LEMON-PEPPER GRILLED LIONFISH WRAP (Adapted from Lionfish Hunter.com)

Buy some fresh soft tortilla wraps or first make your own by combining equal parts white and whole wheat (2 cups), pinch of salt, 2 tablespoons of of olive oil, and about 1/2 cup of water. Mix together to a firm dough consistency. Flatten dough with rolling pin or bottle and place in a hot non-greased pan. A couple of minutes on each side.

Spice Lionfish filets with lemon pepper and grill till golden brown on each side. Wrap fish, lettuce, tomato, black olives, thin carrot and onion slices in the wrap. Make a dressing out of equal parts olive oil and apple cider vinegar with salt pepper and fresh thyme. Shake vigorously in a bottle and pour in the wrap.

More recipes and information at Lionfish Hunter.com