From scorpion fish to blue crab, new frontiers at the table

From grilled scorpion fish, to starters based on rabbit fish, to steamed blue crab, a species that is very widespread and appreciated in Italy, so much so that we think about the creation of a real supply chain.

There are over a thousand alien species stabilized in the Mediterranean due to the rise in temperatures which, from being a problem for marine ecosystems and fishermen, have become an economic and environmental opportunity.

They end up in the kitchen and have given birth to promising new markets.

This is also due to the FAO General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean, which aimed to train fishermen to catch alien fish and consumers to eat them.

And this in many countries of the Basin, such as Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Lebanon, Israel, Syria and Turkey.

"Mitigating the impact of these species is practically impossible - said Miguel Bernal of Gfcm-Fao - and commercial fishing proves to be the most effective tool".

Suffice it to say that in the US where 60,000 tons of blue crabs are consumed a year, they have developed a new technology to easily extract the pulp.

An emerging frontier also in Italy, where the thefts of the Chinese reported in Goro speak volumes.

The wholesale price lists are still limited, Fedagripesca-Confcooperative says, between 2 and 10 euros per kilo but the signs of growth are now all there.