Chef presents his recipe after transforming destructive, poisonous fish into a delicious dish: ‘Wow, this is phenomenal’

more than that 3 billion people trust globally seafood As an important part of their diet. But consuming seafood responsibly is difficult, as overfishing concerns plague many species. But eating invasive fish species can ensure that your diet helps underwater ecosystems rather than harms them.

A popular recently YouTuber and the TikToker went out of his way to prepare an invasive fish species. Capture? Fish is quite poisonous.

@gugafoods

Poisonous Lionfish Dry Fresh!

♬ original audio – Guga Foods

Chef Gustavo Tosta, known for his dry aging experiments, recently became known for his dry aging experiments. invasive lionfish In TikTok account, Guga Foods. Describing it as “one of the most beautiful dry-aging experiments he has ever done,” Tosta walked his followers through the process of preparing a poisonous lionfish.

Tosta first carefully removed the creature’s spikes, the most poisonous part of the fish, with kitchen shears. Then, the chef prepared the fish well and filleted it, just like the other fish.

After the preparations, Tosta is left with two small dry-aged fillets, which he calls “the world’s first dry-aged lionfish.” Although dry aging of lionfish is new, dry aged seafood not. kitchen experts They say dry-aged fish improves texture and intensifies flavor, resulting in a delicious taste from the protein in the water.

To complete the lionfish experiment, Tosta dipped his dry-aged fillets in egg wash and semolina flour and fried the fillets to achieve a crispy finish.

“Wow, this is phenomenal,” Tosta said. in question after trying out his creation.

Again lion fish Native to the western Pacific Ocean, the fish is invasive in coastal waters of the US Southeast and the Caribbean. In non-native ecosystems, lionfish are the top predator and compete for food and space with native fish such as snapper and grouper. These native fish species are already in trouble overfishingmaking invasive lionfish particularly harmful to foreign ecosystems.

“Nearly 30 years ago, red-and-white striped fish appeared off the coast of Florida,” said the international advocacy organization Oceana. reports. “They have expanded rapidly since then and have decimated native fish populations in the Caribbean and the East Coast.”

Lionfish can also kill beneficial reef species such as algae-eating parrotfish, which causes seaweed overgrowth on reefs. Lionfish populations are particularly strong because the fish have no known predators and breed all year round. according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationA mature female lionfish lays approximately 2 million eggs per year.

Although poisonous, lionfish is safe to eat when prepared correctly, as Tosta demonstrates. And this is a good way to reduce their impact on ocean ecosystems.

“After being stripped of its poisonous spines, cleaned and filleted like other fish, lionfish turns into a delicious seafood dish.” NOAA reports. “NOAA scientists studying the spread and impact of lionfish are now promoting the seafood market as a way to mitigate the species’ impacts on reef communities.”

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