Enjoying the Invasive Lion Fish in Jamaica

Perhaps one of the most delicious fish you can ever get your hands on in Jamaica is the Lionfish.

Yeah, snapper and grouper are delicious too, but there’s this unique flavor that makes every bite of this fish you take worth it. Plus eating lionfish over any other species is good both from a nutritional standpoint, and it’s good for the environment too (I’ll explain more on that soon).

Their Impact in Jamaica

The lionfish can be found thriving in the US Southeast Waters as well as the Caribbean. They’re an invasive species that has dramatically increased in numbers over the years.

They continue to expand due to the simple fact that they have no natural predators. As a result, they “fight” other fish for space and resources. Scientific research has even shown that they eat a lot of parrot fish which are known to help our reefs.

So the aim is to reduce the population of lionfish. In this way, younger species will have the ability to once again grow in numbers, and we’ll be closer to having a balanced ecosystem.

But enough about that.

Aren’t they poisonous?

One of the reasons why fishers tend to avoid catching lionfish in Jamaica is because it’s said to be poisonous. This is a misunderstanding. The fish are venomous which is a big difference. They have sharp spines that delivery a painful punch if you’re not careful.

Mishandling them or grabbing them by the spines will probably result in you being stabbed (and it won’t be a nice experience). While you probably won’t die from the event, your pain tolerance will be put to the test.

Be prepared to endure some bad pain for about 12 hours.

How do they taste?

All the risks and dangers aside, lionfish is tasty. Once you’ve managed to remove the “dangerous spines,” you can season that bad boy up and throw it in a pan to be fried.

There’s not much to filet, so it’s probably best-cooked whole. Many Jamaicans (including myself) prefer to have the fish jerked. There are few local establishments scattered throughout the island which can prepare it for you.

One of the best, hands down, is Little Ochie Seafood Restaurant in St. Elizabeth. They make (in my opinion) the best jerk fish on the island. The fish is perfectly seasoned with scallions, scotch bonnet peppers and onions then kissed with their jerk seasoning.

All that perfection put together on a plate makes for a delicious meal.

Other Lion Fish Facts that May Interest You

Here are some other interesting details regarding this delicious fish which you may find interesting:

• Here are some other interesting details regarding this delicious fish which you may find interesting:
• The spines on the lionfish are primarily there for protection. They’re not able to “fire” one off like a spear at prey.
• Though being injected by venom isn’t life-threatening, you can expect to experience a mirage of symptoms includingnausea, dizziness, breathing complications and of course intense pain (yikes!).
• The lionfish primarily preys on other fish (they’re meat lovers). This is why they so often kill out smaller fish and are a threat.
• Lionfish are mostly active during the day.
• To encourage locals to eat the Lionfish, Jamaica launched a campaign promoting the fish as a delicacy. Demand for the fish did increase as people understood more about how to capture, cook and enjoy the fish.

Well there you have it; some awesome information about this delicious fish. Now that you have a better understanding of why it’s important to keep the numbers down and how tasty they are, go out and grab some for yourself!