Divers, seafood markets and chefs want to help North Carolina with its lionfish problem
The prickly lionfish usually makes its home in the Indo-Pacific, but in recent decades the species has become an invasive presence in the Caribbean and along the coast of Florida. Unfortunately, the fish with no predators that reproduces prolifically has been moving up the Atlantic coast.
Lionfish are so well established now, including off our local shore, that experts worry what the full impact will be to popular native species, like grouper and snapper. While it’s unrealistic to expect they can be eradicated, maybe the best way to keep their population in check is to eat them.
In the Wilmington area, those familiar with the issue, from divers to chefs, are educating people and making it easier to enjoy lionfish.
More: This Surf City restaurant is best in NC for seafood, according to Yelp
Lionfish are easy to recognize, with their brown-and-white stripes and dorsal spines. James Doss said they have a mild, buttery white flesh that appeals to a wide variety of tastes. It well-suited to a number of preparations, including raw for a lionfish crudo, he said, or in no-cook preparations like ceviche.
But they can be difficult to catch. As Doss and his wife/partner Sarah Rushing Doss prepare to re-open Rx Chicken & Oysters in Wilmington, they’ve been raising their own oysters and getting a commercial fishing license. They are also scuba divers and often go spearfishing for lionfish, because the fish are found at depths where diving and spearing are the best way to catch them.
"Lionfish is a delicious fish and everyone needs to do their part by eating more,” said Ryan Duffy, of The Boat Landing Restaurant in Sunset Beach. “This species is decimating the different species of marine life that call our reefs home.” He likes them broiled, pan-seared, grilled and in tacos. When he was cooking for a competition hosted by the N.C. Restaurant & Lodging Association, he made lionfish filets stuffed with a scallop mousseline and served with crab-and-spinach risotto and purple cauliflower purée.
The only tricky part is to be careful cleaning them. Duffy got the fish he used for his dish from Cindy Garb, of Instigator Fishing & Diving Charters near Sneads Ferry. She also provides fish to a few local food trucks and restaurants. She gets a lot of questions about the lionfish barbs. “People worry that the fish are poisonous,” she said. “They’re not. The barbs have venom, but it doesn’t affect the meat.” You simply have to be careful when you’re cutting the spines.
If you’re concerned about that, you can turn to professionals at markets like Motts Channel Seafood in Wrightsville Beach. The business has dive boats that will often bring in lionfish for sale, and many people are now specifically asking for them, said Caleb Simmons. They often display lionfish whole but also sell lionfish filets.
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Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Chefs and restaurants in the Wilmington are putting lionfish on the menu
