Tasty Trouble ~ Fried Lionfish Recipe

Fried Lionfish is a tender and delicious meal that can be cooked up in a flash. In this recipe, the Lionfish fillets are coated with flour and fried in butter then steamed in wine with garlic, capers, and tomatoes.

Lionfish have poisonous spines on them, but the fish meat is not poisonous and safe to eat. If you are buying your Lionfish fillets from a store the spines and skin will already be removed, but if you catch your Lionfish you will need to clean and fillet it.

Tasty Trouble ~ Fried Lionfish Recipe

You can use any fish with this recipe.

  • 2 fillets lionfish (patted dry)
  • ½ cup flour (as needed for coating)
  • 4 tbsp butter (as needed for cooking)
  • 1 cloves garlic (diced)
  • ½ cups tomatoes (chopped)
  • 1 tsp capers
  • ¼ cup white wine
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice (fresh ­squeezed)
  • 1 tbsp fresh basil (chopped)
  • parsley or kale (for garnish)
  • lemon wedge (for garnish)
  1. Dredge fillets in flour to lightly dust. Place in sauté pan with a small amount of hot butter over medium heat. Cook the first side, being careful not to burn.
  2. Turn over fish when golden, and reduce heat while adding garlic, tomatoes, capers, white wine, and lemon juice. Cover to hold steam in and cook until fish is fork ­tender.
  3. Add basil and serve immediately. Garnish with a sprig of parsley or kale and a lemon wedge.

Venomous Fish

More than 50% of the world’s venomous vertebrates are fish. The family Scorpaenidae includes the most venomous fish in the ocean, next to the stingray. Lionfish produce heat-labile, nondialyzable venom that can differ in potency but are very similar in composition.

Hot water immersion therapy is considered the gold standard for treatment when stung by venomous fish due to their heat-labile venoms. Patients should soak the affected limb in hot water (107 to 113 F or as close to 107 F as tolerated) for 30 to 90 minutes, or until removal from hot water no longer results in recurrence of pain.

Ciguatera Fish Poisoning

Ciguatera fish poisoning is a rare disorder that occurs because a person consumed contaminated tropical and subtropical fish. When ingested, the toxin (ciguatoxin) may affect the digestive, muscular, and/or neurological systems.

More than 400 different species of fish have been identified as a cause of ciguatera fish poisoning, including many that are considered edible These fish typically inhabit low-lying shore areas or coral reefs in tropical or subtropical areas.

The game fish most commonly associated with ciguatera fish poisoning include sea bass, perch, barracuda, grouper, snapper, jacks, mackerel, and triggerfish. In general, the larger the fish, the greater the potential for poisoning.

Ships Cook Delicious Diana

Hi, my name is Diana. I am the Ships Cook and Editor for the Food section of Postcards from the Edge. I write the recipes, cook and bake some of the recipes of my favorite foods. You will find desserts and all kinds of different dishes featured on this page. I also write reviews of restaurants in the many places I have traveled. I am a well-rounded cook, having spent time in the Wind River Mountains as a horseback guide, Nothing like cooking food over a fire to make a memorable meal for a guest. I love to entertain small groups of people and treat them to some of my favorite dishes.

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