Top Chef working with our Lionfish

If you’re looking for fresh lionfish, spines off and ready to go, we’re the go-to team in Curaçao!
So when Top Chef called for their Caribbean finale episode, we were thrilled to help. The production team ordered whole lionfish for the chefs, so we prepped a beautiful delivery: scaled and intact, just like they asked us to do.

When the Top Chef crew arrived to pick up the order, they took one look at the fish, paused, laughed and said:”Wait - this is for a U.S. show. Could you please remove the venomous spines?.”
We handle spines all the time, but understood the request - no one wants surprises in the kitchen on a shoot day!

So, in true Lionfish Caribbean style, we jumped right in and quickly filleted each fish to perfection, taking off the spines with just minutes to spare. It was a fast-paced filleting session, but we got every piece safely ready for its TV debut with only seconds on the clock. Within 10 minutes, those beautiful fillets were packed and off to be filmed.
The production team ran to the other side of the floating bridge where the filming was happening, the fish were displayed and prepped by the Top Chef- Chefs.

The best part? Our friend and incredible chef, Helmi Smeulders, joined as a guest judge on the episode. Helmi has been pioneering lionfish as a culinary delight in the Caribbean, so seeing her on Top Chef felt like a big win for everyone committed to creative, sustainable cooking.

We’re honored to be named a Royal Warrant Holder! It was an incredible day filled with great company, amazing lionfish dishes, and a special treat - we were even allowed backstage. We're proud to serve sustainable lionfish to support our oceans and our community.

If you caught the episode, you saw chefs using lionfish to pull off some seriously creative dishes. And for those who want a taste? We’re here in Curaçao, filleting fresh lionfish daily… spines off, of course!

https://www.instagram.com/lionfishcaribbean/reel/C8NJZ2th4Op/