jellyfishJellyfish: It's what's for dinner. Did you know you can actually eat those things? When man-o-war jellies cut short Diana Nyad's heroic swim from Cuba to Florida, she could have gotten out her fork and eaten her way to shore. 

Jellyfish is a popular delicacy throughout Asia. Apparently it has a rubber band-like texture, which is better than a slimy texture, I guess. And it won't sting you, either -- unless you're using a really hot sauce. The poison gets removed before Mr. Squishy shows up at the grocery store.

So you must be wondering, how does one prepare jellyfish for dinner? Very, very carefully. Ha! I jest.

Actually, jellyfish is most often served as a salad. You soak it overnight, then poach it, then toss it with a dressing of sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and chili peppers. And since it's as bland as white bread, it pretty much tastes like the dressing and not much else. Deep End Dining has a recipe. If you cook it the right way, it's less rubbery and more crunchy and looks like this:

jellyfish salad

Not so gross, right? Jellyfish is a healthy source of protein: no cholesterol, no saturated fat, and just 30 calories per 4-ounce serving. It's also high in collagen, so it's good for your hair, skin, nails, and joints. And thanks to global warming, they're pretty much taking over our oceans. The sea turtles can't eat them all (especially since they're practically going extinct), so we might as well help out, right? 

I kind of want to try it now! I'm not sure I want to cook it myself just yet, though. Don't you hate it when you go through a lot of trouble buying a special ingredient and cooking it only to find out that it's blech? Too high of stakes for me. I may try it the next time I go out for dim sum, though. That way I know it's probably been cooked properly and I have about 20 other dishes to fall back on in case I don't like it.

And if I do like it, Jellyfish Facts has a whole list of jellyfish recipes, including jellyfish burgers. Yeah ... maybe I'll skip that one.

Would you try jellyfish?


Images via Clicksy/Flickr and Gary Soup/Flickr