Eat the Enemy: Turning the Asian Carp Invasion Into Healthy, Delicious Cuisine

Book excerpt: There is an increasing ecological disaster going on right now which has infected the major river systems and surrounding wetlands of America. Hidden below the surface of muddy waters throughout the land, from southern Florida to the Canadian border, Asian carp are ravaging ecosystems, destroying native fish populations and wildlife habitat, and now threaten to enter the Great Lakes. These invasive species have also negatively impacted regional economies that depend on renewable natural resources for their financial health. Millions of dollars are being spent annually by Federal and State Governments to control the damage done by these fish, with little or no impact. The Asian carp continue to multiply exponentially and destroy all in their path. Natural resource experts have come to firmly believe that the only viable solution to the long-term management of these fish is to promote large-scale harvesting and utilization efforts through both commercial and recreational fishing. Silver and bighead Asian carp have been a highly prized staple of nutrition in their native countries for thousands of years, but in America, they're considered worthless "trash fish." In recent years, however, scientists, health experts, and gourmet chefs have discovered that these fish are incredibly delicious and one of the healthiest on the planet! In blind taste tests, Asian carp have been preferred almost unanimously over other highly favored fish. Most intriguingly, because silver and bighead Asian carp are filter feeders, they do not bioaccumulate toxins as most other popular eating fish on the market do, making them a healthy choice for regular consumption. In Eat the Enemy, author Joseph Classen offers a complete guide to harvesting and utilizing this organic, beyond-sustainable, wild-caught, locally harvested food source, which is currently going to waste! This book explores the following topics: An overview of the Asian carp invasion and ecosystem destruction The autobiographical adventure story of a river rat catfishing kid turned Alaskan fishing guide, who upon his return to the Midwest was in search of worthy table fare A biological and nutritional profile of Asian carp Detailed Asian carp fishing and processing methods A cookbook component with 50 mouth-watering Asian carp recipes