Fighting Asian carp bite by bite

CHICAGO — Asian carp may be a plankton-gobbling nuisance threatening the Great Lakes, but Illinois officials on Thursday expressed hope in changing that perception one bite at a time.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources held a public tasting event starring a Louisiana chef turned advocate to start a campaign that may lead to feeding the invasive species to the growing number of people facing hunger.

"Fish translates to one thing: food," said Chef Philippe Parola. "It's one of the greatest natural resources we have."

He sauteed fillets and deep fried fish cakes for a menu that included sweet potatoes, green beans and banana pudding. The fillets — fried in butter with salt, pepper and sprinkle of Creole spices — had a very mild taste, like tilapia. But several big bones were scattered among the flaky flesh.

The fish cakes, served with a cheese and cream sauce, were savory and moist, and compared favorably with a restaurant-quality appetizer.

Dozens attended the community dinner in Chicago to learn more about the fish that's better known for its ability to grow to 100 pounds, sail out of the water when startled and a voracious appetite that could devastate the Great Lakes.

"There was so much negativity about this fish," said Sharon Hendrix, 67. "It's good. It's so light and delicate, not what I was expecting."

That sentiment was shared by Hendrix's 73-year-old friend, Alice White.

"It's very good, flavorful," she said.

Even young taste testers — many unaware they were eating Asian carp — gave it two thumbs up.

Bakia Johnson, 15, compared it to salmon, which she says she loves.

"I think it was excellent, well-seasoned," she said.

The idea to exploit Asian carp's nutritional value — nutritionists say it's a good protein source, low in mercury and high in Omega 3 fatty acids — has major obstacles in Illinois. While it's eaten in China and high-end restaurants, among other places, there's no infrastructure yet for netting the fish in mass quantities, cleaning and distributing it to the masses. Officials also recognize they face an even more intangible challenge: the fish has a bad public image.

Parola said people just need to be exposed to it.

"This fish is not any uglier than any other fish," he noted.

Getting carp to soup kitchens and food pantries is months off, said Tracy Smith, a director for Feeding Illinois, which supplies food banks and is helping on the project. Illinois officials don't know the most feasible way to dole out the carp: minced, boneless fillets or some type of pre-cooked product.

Anti-hunger advocates in Illinois are praising the idea of serving the carp, especially with increasing demand for food stamps. An average 1.8 million people rely on the state's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program each month, according to figures from earlier this year. That's up from 1.2 million people monthly in 2006.

"It's a crisis," Smith with Feeding Illinois said. "Creative partnerships are going to be critical to getting through this."

This story was originally published September 23, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Fighting Asian carp bite by bite."