Eat Lionfish, Save a Reef!

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Dawgluver

Chef Extraordinaire
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I think I would be worried about it in barracuda, where it's common, and in the other bigger predators such as grouper, but lionfish rarely reach more than 12 inches.

And interestingly, according to your article, ciguatoxin is found in snapper, amberjack, and all the other fish that are commonly served world-wide! I guess if ya eats big fish of any kind, ya takes yer chances...

"In its draft guidance, FDA refers fish processors to its Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, also known as The Guide, for a list of the fish that MAY carry dangerous levels of ciguatoxins. These include certain species of barracuda, grouper, scamp, amberjack, snapper, hind, hogfish, jobfish, pompano, jacks and trevally, wrasse, mackerel, tang, moray eels and parrotfish, according to The Guide."

I have eaten plenty of grouper, snapper, pompano and hogfish. Not interested in eating moray though.
 
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There is a campaign in Aruba to promote eating lion fish.

Try it, you'll like it! The link I posted had several Aruban restaurants listed. If you can, get it coconut crusted, to die for!

When we were snorkeling along a reef wall last December, I spotted my first lionfish "in the wild". I was really excited, and directed DH to come and see it. Then I looked up, and an entire Mexican family was up top watching the same lionfish. I asked them in broken Spanglish if they had a net, I would catch it for them. They would have gotten a nice 2 inch fillet from it :LOL:
 
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Thanks Dawgluver,
Very interesting - good reading. Should I ever be in a restaurant that specializes in seafood I'll ask. (and I'm not talking about the Lobster!)
 
Fascinating articles, Dawg! I read both of them with great interest, and learned a lot. I would absolutely try lionfish, given the chance. Not much chance of that here in the CA desert, but who knows, I may go somewhere that it is offered. :)

My son-in-law Steve took this pic of a lionfish when he was scuba diving in Bali a couple of years ago. Such strangely beautiful creatures!
 

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