Lionfish, it's what's for dinner

In April I received a bite from a lonestar tick.  I didn't think much of it (other than watching the spot for signs of the Lyme's disease rash) but in the next few weeks I started having some weird allergic reactions.  Red watery eyes, runny nose, various rashes.  I kept thinking I was getting a cold or having a reaction to poison ivy or nutmeg (a known allergy).  One night after having hamburgers for dinner I woke up sick with a terrible stomach ache and was up the rest of the night.  By morning I had starting thinking about a recent news article I had read about a tick bite that makes you allergic to red meat.  After googling my symptoms I thought this could be what I had.  I called my doctor and they got me in for testing and sure enough, I had developed an Alpha-gal or Mammalian Meat Allergy

I am lucky to have been diagnosed so quickly, many people go for years without being diagnosed.  My husband (our main menu planner and cook) had to change our diet pretty quickly from beef and pork to poultry and seafood.  We had been hearing that lionfish was available at Whole Foods so my husband picked some up.  We were excited about this as we both work in the conservation field and the consumption of invasive and exotic lionfish is a great way to eat sustainable seafood.  You can learn more about it on the FWC website.

You can purchase the lionfish whole and they will tell you how to safely clean it (avoiding the venomous spines).  Other people have told me that Whole Foods will clean it for you.  It was about $8 per pound and cheaper than the grouper and snapper at the store. 

Two whole lionfish purchased from Whole Foods

My husband had done a search for Lionfish recipes and found one that had an avocado salsa on top of it.  It was absolutely delicious.  We will definitely be adding this into our regular meal rotation. 

Lionfish with avocado salsa with squash and snap peas on the side

My husband also picked up some Sea Cow Milk Stout from Saltwater Brewery that is located in Delray Beach, Florida.  They developed a cool edible six pack for their beers to decrease the amount of plastics in the ocean. 

Sea Cow Milk Stout from Saltwater Brewery in Delray Beach

Our meal was good for the ocean in more ways than one!

This morning I was also excited to see the first signs of chanterelle season in the woods around my house.  Looking forward to some more local eating.

Chanterelle mushroom