U.S.A.
April 21, 2014
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 9
Asian carp could be rebranded as cuisine
By Steve Tarter
(Peoria) Journal Star
AST PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — The swarms of Asian
carp that infest the Illinois River may not want to
hear this, but they’re good to eat.
Clint Carter from Carter’s Fish Market in Springfield
demonstrated that as he prepared a carp taste test
recently at Dixon Seafood Shoppe in East Peoria.
After demonstrating how to slice a boneless filet off the
whole fish, Carter fried up samples in Dixon’s kitchen.
“I’m trying to find ways to get people to enjoy this fish,” he
said.
Taking note of Carter’s preparations were Mike White
of Whitey’s BBQ in East Peoria and Jeff Westbay of the
Bass Pro Shop, both planning to take part in the first
annual Flying Fish Festival planned on the Illinois River
on July 11 and 12.
Along with a bowfishing tournament expected to draw
some of the country’s top archers to target the high-flying
fish, the festival will also offer Asian carp food samples,
said John Hamann, rural economic development director
for Peoria County.
There shouldn’t be any shortage of targets. Researchers
at Southern Illinois University have estimated that the
Asian carp now make up more than 60 percent of all
aquatic life in the Illinois River.
“The fish are definitely here,” said Hamann, recalling a
fishing expedition in Havana with six men in two boats
that netted 50,000 pounds of Asian carp in a single day
last fall.
“We’re looking for ways to keep this fish in check, and
the commercial use of this fish is one of those. We’ll also be
asking people to rebrand it,” said Hamann, aware that,
given the fish’s reputation for leaping out of the water, the
very mention of Asian carp sends people scrambling for
cover — not for knife and fork.
The challenge will be getting that fish to market —
whether to be consumed here or in China, he said.
“The nearest processing plants are two-and-half-hours
away. Fishermen are spending more time on the road
than they are in the water,” said Hamann, noting recent
interest in establishing a plant to process fish in the
Peoria area.
“We’ve had four different groups look at setting up a
business here — three from China. One major U.S.
seafood company working with a Chinese company was
E
RETHINKING CARP. Fresh Asian carp on ice (left photo) and breaded-and-fried Asian carp (right photo) are seen at the Dixon Seafood Shoppe
in East Peoria, Illinois before chef Clint Carter presents ideas on how to prepare the fish to local chefs. The chefs will serve up their own culinary cre-
ations in July at the Flying Fish Festival in East Peoria. (AP Photo/Journal Star, Fred Zwicky)
fish markets.
just here ...,” he said.
The suggestion has been made that a processing plant
The fish that Dixon’s family sold back then were
that provides jobs would make more sense than an European carp and buffalo, relatives of the Asian carp, he
expensive electric fence to keep carp at bay.
said.
“Americans like white, flakey fish that’s boneless and
“The government is talking about spending $20 million
to $30 million to keep carp out of the Great Lakes. They doesn’t taste like fish,” said Dixon, pointing out that while
ought to peel off $5 million for a processing plant right a filet of Asian carp qualifies, “you’re only using 10 percent
here,” said Jim Dixon, president of the Dixon seafood of the fish.”
“In China and Asia, they’re used to the head and the
operation.
Getting fish out of the Illinois River is nothing new to bones when it comes to fish,” he said.
Dixon, representing the fifth generation of a family
“(Asian carp) needs to be shipped whole or we need to
business that, in the early 20th century, pulled more than find a way to get the meat off the bone, some kind of a
a million pounds of fish from the river each year for U.S. steam cooker,” said Dixon.
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