The Lion Fish in St. Lucia

To start this post I really should explain what exactly the creature is in the first photo but first, some background.  I have shared a number of posts about our trip to St. Lucia last year and we enjoyed it so much, we are going to go to another Caribbean resort for our honeymoon. This is not actually new news as we had this booked a while ago but when we postponed the wedding that meant everything had to get moved, including these travel plans.  The resort kindly worked with us to shift the date from May to November and I can not wait to go diving in Caribbean waters again – this time in the Bahamas!

And now to explain this photo – this is a lion fish.  The real name of this venomous fish is pterois but it is most commonly known as a lion fish.  Others call them zebrafish, fire fish, or half a dozen other names but they all describe these invasive fish that are causing massive damaging to the coral reefs .  Because this non-native fish is causing so much harm spearfishing them is actually considered conservation.  (You can read more about it here, if you are interested!)

In St. Lucia you do need a license to kill them but as our dive master had one we got to see him hunting them down first hand.  And what is better?  Lion fish is a healthier than most other seafood options  like snapper or grouper!  After our dive the instructors cleaned the fish off the back of the boat and then cooked them up during a beach barbecue! Take a look at soup to nuts, catching them, cleaning them, and eating them:

While I tried the lion fish straight off the grill the filets had been seasoned with so much Caribbean spice that I found them inedible (I am such a baby when it comes to spicy things) but I truly enjoyed it served with scallops, shrimp, and mango in a civche!

Would you be brave enough to eat a lion fish?