Asian carp fails to impress at Taste

Chefs at the Taste of Chicago have turned an environmental pest into lunch.

Festival visitors got a chance Wednesday to munch on free sliders made of Asian carp, the invasive species poised to invade the Great Lakes.

The verdict?

Mike Santay, a 50-year-old Chicagoan, says the slider wasn’t overwhelming fishy, but didn’t taste like chicken either.

Others were even less impressed. Cynthia Brandes called it a “poor man’s crab cake,” adding it would likely be the first and last time it passes her lips.

State officials have been trying to change the perception of the fish, calling it a nutritious food that could become a consumer item.

Asian carp have migrated up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. If they reach the Great Lakes, they could out-compete native fish for food.