The jellyfish, grilled, with a drizzle of oil, and eaten with a fork and knife
Asia eats in a traditional way, while in our country we still don't know what to do beyond enduring its stinging sensation.
If you're someone who swims in the sea, you know there's a fear you have to contend with: stinging jellyfish, those that can leave a sting simply because you've crossed their path as they drift along the ocean currents. In our country, chef Carme Ruscalleda applied for permission to cook in the European Union in 2013 and 2014. She had first eaten jellyfish in 2003 in a Chinese restaurant in Japan and liked them; especially the texture, which reminded her of chicken wing cartilage. She also praised the taste, noting its sweetness. And, as if that weren't enough, Ruscalleda researched their nutritional properties: eating jellyfish can lower 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 applications. He replied that jellyfish were not part of the Mediterranean diet, which is what the studies confirmed because no jellyfish recipe appeared in our ancient texts. The measure taken was supposedly intended to avoid food allergies, which can appear when we eat a food we have never eaten before. Besides, to give permission, health studies on its consumption would also have to be carried out. All very cumbersome.
Meanwhile, the scientist Arnau Subías, who runs the Instagram account Gastrobio, explains that in Asia there are jellyfish that are eaten traditionally. Some are found in both the Mediterranean and the Pacific. These are the blue-green jellyfish (Pelagia noctiluca) and the moon jellyfish (Aurelia auralita). Others are found in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic: the Aiguamala (Rhizostoma pulmo), that white one with a lilac-colored thread at its ends, and which is highly stinging. Another: the fried egg jellyfish (Cotylorhiza tuberculata), which some bathers pick up with their hands to move them away; they don't sting.
Carme Ruscalleda knew how to cook the fried egg of these jellyfish, following the steps of Chinese cuisine. She buried it in coarse salt overnight at three degrees Celsius; the next day she cleaned the inside and desalted it. The result? A texture like squid, and a marine taste, like oysters or barnacles, the chef explained.