At current fishing rates, many of the world's major fisheries face potential collapse within the next few decades, leaving shoppers to wonder which fish are abundant enough to eat. Well, there's a fish you can eat without an ounce of remorse: Asian carp, also known as bighead, grass, silver or black carp, a destructive invasive species flourishing in American Midwestern rivers. And what better way to celebrate Great Lakes Week than by eating a principal threat to Lake Michigan?
An odd-looking fish with low-set eyes and a large mouth, the Asian carp starves out native species with its insatiable appetite for plankton, sometimes growing up to 100 pounds. Imported from Asia into Arkansas for aquaculture in the 1970s, Asian carp escaped into the Mississippi River in the 90s and have since made their way to the doorstep of the Great Lakes and its $7 billion fishing industry. Asian carp have wreaked havoc on whole stretches of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers and experts fear the fish will do the same to the Great Lakes and their tributaries.
One way to help bring down Asian carp numbers may be to develop food markets for the fish. Despite its well-deserved reputation as an aggressive, invasive pest, Asian carp are a nutritious fish, with levels of Omega 3 fatty acids (PDF) almost as high as those found in salmon. And unlike predatory fish, Asian carp may be exposed to fewer toxins since plankton is low on the food chain and less concentrated with pollutants. USDA tests of processed Asian carp samples, conducted on behalf of a start-up company in Havanna, Illinois, indicated the fish were "pristine."
Starting in early 2010, Chef Phillip Foss at Chicago's high-end Lockwood restaurant began promoting Asian carp as a high-quality, palatable fish, worthy of a market in the United States. "It's a very good fish," Foss says, adding, "About as good of a freshwater fish as I've found, period. Very rich." He admits, however, that the "bones on this fish are like I've never seen." Paul Virant of Vie restaurant, also in Chicago, cooked a piece of Asian carp in grapeseed oil with kosher salt and declared it "a nice piece of fish" with a "very fresh, delicate flavor" and "slightly firm." Search Google for "Asian carp recipes" and you'll turn up dozens--here we provide a simple Fried Asian Carp and Lockwood's sophisticated Shanghai Bass Ceviché.
Tasty and nutritious as they may be, except in select major cities you won't often find Asian carp at the fishmongers. Schafer Fisheries in Thomson, Illinois, ships to wholesalers in Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, and Chicago and makes deliveries to individuals, although shipping costs may be prohibitive. Supreme Lobster in Villa Park, Illinois, sells whole fish at $1.29 a pound and will fillet the fish upon request. At Mayflower grocery in Chicago's Chinatown, shoppers can find the Bighead variety of Asian carp twice a week. And Rubino's Seafood Company, a wholesale fish distributor that sells whole carp or just the heads (coveted for soups), also supplies Asian carp to Broadway Supermarket, a Vietnamese store in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, which sells cut pieces of the fish for $2.19 a pound.
For those interested in fishing the Asian carp themselves, be forewarned: the silver carp variety fly out of the water when disturbed and, in areas where their population numbers are particularly high, have been known to bruise and batter people recreating or fishing from their boats. Additionally, fishing for Asian carp using traditional line method is difficult since, as filter feeders, Asian carp don't go for bait the way other fish might. But there are a few methods that have proven effective, including snagging, bowfishing and suspended angling using dough bait. Check with your local office of Fish and Wildlife Service before you head out to ensure your techniques are legal and safe.
While catching Asian carp may be tricky, filleting these creatures is even more so. With a bloodline that runs through the length of the body and "floating" bones notoriously difficult to remove, this fish may frustrate the most skilled of fishermen and chefs. Furthermore, the ratio of usable meat to scraps is low, as a good deal of work generates, on average, a 10 percent yield. Indeed, the amount of labor involved is reflected in pricing: While a whole fish may cost as little as 15 cents a pound, an Asian carp fillet may go for as much as $15 per pound.
The Asian carp is admittedly a difficult fish to find and fillet. But for taste, nutrition, and benefits to the environment, it is worth the challenge to seek it out. Additionally, marketing Asian carp as food is one viable piece in a full strategy for controlling or eradicating this aggressive species. "Commercial fishing could be one of many things we do to reduce the pressure," says NRDC attorney Thom Cmar. Josh Mogerman of the NRDC Chicago office, concurs: "There are some places where it's such a huge problem, that pretty much the only way to get your river back is to start pulling them out of the water."
Recipes
Lockwood's Shanghai Bass Ceviché
Image credit: Kate Gardiner/Flickr
