Jellyfish with noodles in a casserole dish, Carme Ruscalleda's dream

If you're someone who swims in the sea, you surely know that there's a fear that spreads like the heat to our beaches: the fear of stinging jellyfish, those that can leave a sting if you accidentally bump into them as they drift with the ocean currents. In our country, chef Carme Ruscalleda requested permission to cook in the European Union in 2013 and 2014. She had first eaten them in 2003 in Japan at a Chinese restaurant, and she had liked them; especially the texture, which reminded her of the cartilage on a chicken wing. The taste also stood out to her because it was sweet. And, as if that weren't enough, Ruscalleda researched their nutritional properties: eating jellyfish can reduce cholesterol and improve joint function, as well as maintain healthy skin and hair.

Despite all the attempts made by the chef who held the most Michelin stars in the world, the European Union rejected her requests. He replied that jellyfish were not part of the Mediterranean diet and that studies supported this, because no recipe made with jellyfish appears in our ancient texts. The European restriction was supposedly intended to prevent food allergies, which can occur when we eat a food we've never eaten before. Besides, before permission could be granted to cook with jellyfish, health studies regarding its consumption would also have to be carried out. All very complicated.

The fried egg, in the Pacific and in the Mediterranean

Meanwhile, scientist Arnau Subías, who runs the Instagram account Gastrobio, explains that in Asia there are jellyfish that are traditionally eaten. Some are found in both the Mediterranean and the Pacific, such as the glowworm (Pelagia noctiluca) and the moon jellyfish (Aurelia auralita). Others are found in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, such as the blue distemper (Rhizostoma pulmo), which is white with lilac tones and is stinging, and the fried egg jellyfish (Cotylorhiza tuberculata), which some bathers brush aside by grabbing them with their hands to avoid being stung.

Among these jellyfish, Carme Ruscalleda knew how to cook the fried egg, following the steps of Chinese gastronomy. She buried it in coarse salt overnight at three degrees Celsius; the next day she cleaned its insides and desalted it. The result? A texture like squid and a marine taste, like oysters or barnacles, explained the chef, who had even placed them on top of noodles in a casserole dish. Following this line of thought, the scientist Arnau Subías says that in Asia jellyfish always undergo the same culinary process: first they are dehydrated through salting and then cooked over a flame. Thanks to the salt and the heat of the fire, the nematocysts are deactivated, the technical term for the microscopic darts of venom they inject into people when they touch them. He himself maintains that jellyfish are an important source of collagen and are low in calories because they are 90% to 95% water; the rest is protein. Because of the collagen they can provide to the body, they are very attractive nutritionally. You're probably already familiar with collagen, as many cosmetics contain it. It's a good nutrient for the skin, which naturally produces it but loses it over time. And when it loses it, wrinkles appear. Furthermore, our tendons, bones, cartilage, and cornea also need collagen. Yes, for the corneas of our eyes.

Despite all this, remember: in Europe, they cannot be eaten. There is no authorization to do so. So, no one should think they can go to sea to collect fried eggs and eat them after salting them. So, for now, the only thing to do is keep swimming among jellyfish. They do their thing, and we're the ones who swim past them.