With the 15 pounds of fillets that were a result of the first ever Lionfish Reef Cleanup, the Lionfish Team hosted a Lionfish Cook-off at the DCMS 10 Year Anniversary Celebration. With three different dishes cooked up by local chefs we exposed many new people to the deliciously sweet meat of lionfish. At first many people were hesitant to the idea of eating the “deadly” and “poisonous” dishes that we were serving, but by the end of the night people learned that the infamous lionfish is not only safe to eat but an environmentally friendly fish to catch due to its high population and negative impacts on the local reefs. It was a close competition, but the up-and-coming local chef, Charvette Strachan, won the cook-off with her lionfish dish that was marinated in teriyaki-herb sauce and topped with a pineapple salsa. Delicious!
