The jumping carp has been an important symbol of prosperity and the rise in social status in Chinese culture for as long as history can remember. Now the same non-indigenous Asian carp called silver carp will be jumping onto people’s plates for dinner in the American state of Louisiana.

Louisiana’s famous chef, Philippe Parola says he got the idea to market them just last August when two silver carp jumped into his boat. He says, "I thought they were rich in blood and being a chef, I know that blood is not good in any fish. So I bled the fish right away by cutting the tail off and brought the fish to the restaurant and found out the meat was incredibly delicious."

New taste, new name

He said they tasted nothing like carp and should thus be baptized Silverfin and served by Lent at the latest, so Louisiana Catholics will have something new on their meatless menus. Ralph Allemand, a biologist in the State of Louisiana says the reason people haven't been eating this fish yet is because until now they have had the same bad reputation as the common carp. "I think it has more or less the negative connotations with the common carp. The common carp feeds along the bottom, roots around on the bottom, its got a stronger taste to it and smaller bones."

Dangerous fish

Carp usually have a high heavy metal content because they feed on waste at the bottom of rivers, unlike Silverfin, which is a filter feeder and virtually free of heavy metals. They are also rich in healthy omega 3. That means turning the carp into food is not only going to add healthy variety to Louisiana's cuisine. It is also part of the solution to eradicate the carp from US rivers.

"The problem is these big fish eat their body weight in plankton so they are eating up all the food sources of all our native fish. It is a serious problem," according to chef Parola.

The Silverfin have not only been jeopardizing Cajun cuisine by endangering other fish. These 30 to 40 pound fish have also been putting the health of fishermen in danger, as they cause injuries or even death when they jump.

Their jumping also makes it difficult for recreational fishermen to catch them, as Allemand explains. "As far as recreational people getting this - it is a real skittish fish, you are not going to get em hooking lines, they’re not eating worms or any kind of bait. It is basically when they jump in the boat. In the upper Mississippi basins, they use the fish in tournaments, catching them in nets or shooting with a bow and arrow. Other than that, there is really no way for a recreational fisherman to catch these fish, so it is going to almost all be on the commercial side.

"Don't poison these fish", the Big Easy wants to eat them!

These fish have not only been pests in Louisiana rivers. Chef Parola says elswhere on the Mississippi, there were efforts to try and get rid of the fish by poisoning them. Now his message is:

"Don’t poison these fish, you know, we’ll buy them! Louisiana is known for our food…gumbo are very popular. So, hey, if the fish want to come down here, they are taking a big chance."

Lucky for Louisiana, these jumping silver carp have escaped their native Asian woks and have found a new habitat on the Cajun menu.

Author: Sarah Berning
Editor: Grahame Lucas