Explorers will snack on exotic hors d’oeuvre

Some of the nastiest visitors to the Sunshine State will get their well-deserved comeuppance when Chef Brad Francis of the Crowne Plaza Melbourne Oceanfront turns them into hors d’oeuvres for the Invasive Species Tasting that is part of the Explorers Club 2015 Lowell Thomas Awards Dinner on Saturday.

Wild boar, lionfish and Burmese python are the snacks Francis plans to serve.

“We’re going to have some fun,” said Francis, who provided the initial suggestion of connecting the Crowne Plaza with the legendary New York City-based organization that promotes scientific exploration through research and education in the physical, natural and biological sciences.

Former Crowne Plaza food and beverage director Simon Curtis shot the Club an email invitation to host one of their well-heeled events here. It was soon answered by Explorers Club member and Brevard resident Idee Belau, who liked the idea of the Melbourne oceanfront venue.

“We appreciate that the Crowne Plaza is community-focused and conservation-minded, especially through their promotion and stewardship of our local sea turtle nesting sites,” said Belau.

“We often hold events in cultural/science centers, but occasionally align with non-cultural venues that have historical relevance, unique location or conservation relevance.”

Club members, from princes and captains of industry to diehard adventurers and scientific geniuses, have been responsible for a series of firsts, including first to the North Pole, first to the South Pole, first to the summit of Mt. Everest and first to the surface of the moon.

Tempting palates for people who’ve been there, done that, is a daunting project for Francis, but he has risen to the task with a series of three different recipes for each of the three invasive species. Although he has enjoyed wild boar many times and has sampled lionfish (“It takes like lobster,” he said), Francis admits he is a newbie with Burmese python.

For the wild boar, he plans on char siu recipe for starters.

“It’s Chinese barbecue, and absolutely delicious,” he said.

Spanish and German-themed recipes with the wild pig will join the Asian hors d’oeuvres.

Francis bets his guests will delight in the lionfish ceviche, prepared with watermelon and ruby red grapefruit for a Florida flair. Lionfish tacos and a Bahamian-style dish will round out the three options. While lionfish contains venom in its spines, its meat is not poisonous.

As for the Burmese python, Francis figures he can’t go wrong with “Everglades pizza.”

“Everyone lives pizza, so I’m incorporating python into the pizza,” he said.

For the more adventurous of the adventurers, Francis will also offer a garlicky python recipe with Thai influence, as well as a version a la fried calamari.

The pig, the fish and the snake, all bad boys in Florida, could use serious culling.

“They are the top three most unwanted species,” said Dr. Mike Knight, fellow with the Explorers Club. “The wild hog is considered one of the worst animals in terms of ecological damage.”

Lionfish, native to the Pacific Ocean, was introduced to Florida waters in the 1980s, possibly by aquarium collectors tired of them. Without predators, it thrives and kills everything else and now swims from the Caribbean to as far north as Rhode Island. About 300,000 Burmese pythons are hanging out around the Everglades these days after they, too, were set free by their former owners.

Preparing the trio for the dinner table has been an interesting journey for Francis.

“The Explorers’ Club explore the world,” said Francis. “I’m an explorer, too. I explore food.”

About The Explorers Club

The Explorers Club is an international professional society, founded in 1904, dedicated to the advancement of field research and the ideal that it is vital to preserve the instinct to explore.

About the 2015 Lowell Thomas Awards Dinner

The awards honor explorers in conservation. The dinner will be held Saturday, but events are scheduled from Friday to Sunday.

For more information about tickets and prices, go to https://explorers.org/events/detail/2015_lowell_thomas_awards_dinner