!["Once stripped of its venomous spines, cleaned, and filleted like any other fish, [it] becomes delectable seafood fare."](https://www.thecooldown.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/lionfish.jpg?w=1920&h=800)
More than 3 billion people globally rely on seafood as a significant part of their diets. But with overfishing concerns plaguing many species, consuming seafood responsibly is difficult. Eating invasive fish species, however, can ensure your diet is helping underwater ecosystems rather than harming them.
Recently, a popular YouTuber and TikToker tried his hand at preparing an invasive fish species. The catch? The fish is highly venomous.
@gugafoods Venomous Lionfish Dry Age!
♬ original sound - Guga Foods
Known for his dry-aging experiments, chef Gustavo Tosta recently dry-aged an invasive lionfish on his TikTok account, Guga Foods. Calling it "one of the most beautiful dry-aging experiments" he's ever done, Tosta took his followers through preparing a venomous lionfish.
First, Tosta carefully removed the creature's spikes — the most venomous part of the fish — with culinary shears. Then, the chef prepared and filleted the fish, well, like any other fish.
After the prep, Tosta is left with two small dry-age filets, which he called "the world's first lionfish dry age." Though dry-aging lionfish may be new, dry-aging seafood is not. Culinary experts say that dry-aging fish improves texture and concentrates flavor, making for a tasty take on the aquatic protein.
To finish his lionfish experiment, Tosta dipped his dry-aged filets in an egg wash and semolina flour, frying the filets for a crispy finish.
"Wow, that is phenomenal," Tosta said after trying his creation.
Though lionfish are native species in the Western Pacific Ocean, the fish is invasive in the coastal waters of the U.S. Southeast and the Caribbean. In non-native ecosystems, lionfish are a top predator and compete for food and space with native fish like snapper and grouper. These native fish species are already plagued by overfishing, making invasive lionfish especially detrimental to foreign ecosystems.
"About 30 years ago, the red-and-white striped fish showed up off the Florida coast," international advocacy organization Oceana reports. "They've expanded quickly since, bulldozing native fish populations in the Caribbean and up the Eastern Seaboard."
Lionfish can also kill off helpful reef species like algae-eating parrotfish, which allows an overgrowth of seaweed on reefs. Lionfish populations are especially strong, as the fish have no known predators and reproduce all year long. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a mature lionfish female releases roughly 2 million eggs per year.
Though venomous, lionfish are safe to eat when prepared correctly, as Tosta demonstrated. And it's a good way to curb their impact on the ocean ecosystems.
"Once stripped of its venomous spines, cleaned, and filleted like any other fish, the lionfish becomes delectable seafood fare," the NOAA reports. "NOAA scientists researching the lionfish's spread and impact are now encouraging a seafood market as one way to mitigate the species' impacts on reef communities."
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