Invasive Northern Snakehead reeling in restaurant guests in Maryland

BALTIMORE -- Fresh local seafood is on the menu at True Chesapeake Oyster Co. in Hampden. But for one dish, the less you know, the better.

"It's creepy looking," said Chef Zack Mills. "If you google it, it's a bad idea. Because you're not going to want to eat it after you google it."

Mills is talking about the Northern Snakehead that's taking over the Chesapeake Bay. 

Native to Asia and Russia, the fish is 33 inches long, thick, and slimy. It can also reproduce quickly. 

This voracious predator was first discovered in a pond in Crofton in 2002, and has been wreaking havoc on our waterways ever since.

"Invasive species, huge teeth, and can walk a little bit," Mills said. "It hops, so it can get out of the water and into another body of water, if it wanted to. And it eats everything. It will eat whatever's in front of it."

But Chef Mills has turned the invasive species into dinner. 

"Chicken Fried Snakehead" is reeling in restaurant guests, eager for a bite.

"I'm fortunate that I have the open kitchen," Mills said. "So guests pop by and give me their two cents. And most of the time it's, 'I had the snakehead! I've never had snakehead! Snakehead is delicious! They want to try something different. You're at a restaurant, you're going out, and you try it and realize this scary thing that you've seen pictures of is actually a light flaky elegant flavored fish."

Snakehead is one of their most popular menu items. And it's been popping up at more Maryland restaurants. 

Chef Mills said it's seafood sustainability.

"As a chef, it's really nice to be able to say 'Oh no, you pull as many of these out of the water and kill them and cook them and eat them as much as humanely possible.' That's great for me," Mills said. "So snakehead has been a staple on this menu for a long time. And even when I have to take it off for availability, guests still come in and ask for it."

It leaves you with some very tasty food for thought.