My First Lion Fish Meal

[Dave Dillehay]

Well, meal is sort of a stretch. On Wednesday night I went to Kinta and they had no Lionfish filets available but they did have, as a regular menu item "Fireballs". These are breaded and fried pieces of Lionfish that look like what we used to call Salmon Croquets (sp?). Very mild and not unlike chicken, I just was happy to be higher up on the food chain.

From what I know many local restaurants now offer some sort of Lionfish items and buy as many as they can from the Fisherman's Cooperative. I would hope that us divers could expand the market for Lionfish meat by ordering whenerever we can. They really do taste mild, and bluntly not "fishy" enough for my normal preference in seafood

And even though the Lion Fish are getting more rare in the National Park, there are plenty big ones to be found in the North and on the East Side. Maybe that is what Pelagic Sal is up to...getting rich on the emerging Lion Fish market. I heard her last count this trip was over 70 Lion Fish!

Maybe we ought to start a weekly Lion Fish hunt up north and make a lot more money than plain diving.


Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

 

[kixy1]

It DOES taste a bit like chicken, only better! Sweet and mild with a good texture. We've had it for lunch 2 days in a row now. Lionfish bbq on the beach after a "tough" day diving, sigh. Sometime life just sucks LOL

 

[firstdive2005]

The week of the Scubaboard invasion I killed over 70 and the guides I was will got a ton also. Mostly in the park. Went north with Gabi Loco one day and we got a least 25 on two dives. Also some lobster and fish. That was out of the park obviously. It would serve well to have the restaurants buying these fish to help the cull. kev

 

[scubawife]

I've heard that La Perla does some nice lionfish dishes, including a ceviche that's supposed to be pretty tasty.

Are they showing up yet for sale to the public at the grocery fish counters or at the mercado?

 

[ggunn]

I've heard that La Perla does some nice lionfish dishes, including a ceviche that's supposed to be pretty tasty.

Are they showing up yet for sale to the public at the grocery fish counters or at the mercado?

La Perlita, maybe? I've heard that as well.

 

[rusti999]

As firstdive2005 said, this past week with Scuba Mau, the dives north of the park were mostly hunting dives where the DM (I had Monkey on all my morning dives) and some other people would go hunting (lionfish, but also lobster and crab). When we came back to the pier, Monkey would clean up the catch right on the pier. Two days Monkey asked the people at La Hach to cook them, one day Monkey asked the cook at a cantina near his house to cook them, and another day Monkey cooked them himself at La Palapita, frying them on a pan of oil on top of a grill; the latter two meals were the ones mentioned by kixy1. All them were yummy!!!

 

[firstdive2005]

As Rusti999 just said the cook at La Hach does up a great fry with the Lion fish for the boys from Scubamau. He charges a very low rate to cook it. And he does a great job. My tips usually are more than the meal!! They are so good at La Hach and Palapita. Great places to play at.

 

[Pelagicsal]

Yes, La Perlita will prepare them.

6 of us took 23 to Wet Wendy's. They have a menu of prep options for the lionfish. We asked for some each way, so they brought us salads, sides, and platters of fish prepped each way. We shared family style, and I think the Veracruz was the table favorite, though all were tasty...

 

[TV Mark]

I'm getting hungry!

 

[ggunn]

Although this is an interesting sidebar, and it's something do do with the lionfish kill other than just dumping the bodies, I really don't see this as adding another significant food source or giving much incentive to harvesting lionfish for food. There is just not enough meat per fish and they are too difficult to handle safely in quantity.