[title type="h3"]If Lionfish Would Only Go Gourmet. . . [/title]
You may well have seen lionfish if you have a big aquarium or like visiting such environments. If you're a scuba diver in the Caribbean and the Gulf Of Mexico--including in the clearer waters off the coast of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida--you may also have run into them. I hope the incident didn't involved the painful sting of the fish, which is covered with venomous tentacles.
But you probably haven't eaten a lionfish. Neither have I, although I'm looking forward to trying the fish soon. Mat & Naddie's has found a source of the whole fish, and is serving the whole fish tempura-coated and fried. For once, we need not worry about depleting the species. This is an invasive fish, arrived from the equatorial Indian and Pacific oceans, and aggressively competing with our native fish and shrimp. Eat all you want with a clear conscience. I hear they're pretty good.
But know ye this: the venomous stings can occur even after the fish are dead. These suckers go down fighting. Don't mess with anything that looks like a spine--although all those are removed in the cleaning process.
Mat & Naddie's will feature the fish as long as they can get them. I hear that lionfish ceviche is the best of all methods of preparation.
Mat & Naddie's. Riverbend: 937 Leonidas. 504-861-9600. www.matandnaddies.com.
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