How Much Does Sea Cucumber, One of the Four Great Seafood Delicacies, Cost per Jin? A Detailed Guide to Dry and Fresh Preparations, Eating Methods, and People Who Should Avoid It
Abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, and fish maw are the “Four Great Seafood Delicacies” in the eyes of Chinese people. Among them, sea cucumber has been a precious food and medicinal ingredient from ancient times to the present. Every autumn is the season when sea cucumber hits the market. So how much does sea cucumber cost per jin? How do you eat it? Who should not eat it?
1. Introduction to Sea Cucumber
Sea cucumber is also called sea rat, sea cucumber (sea ginseng), sashimi, shali, etc. It generally lives in places from the seaside to 8000 m deep. It is a marine echinoderm. In the Qing Dynasty, Zhao Xuemin wrote in “Supplement to the Compendium of Materia Medica” that because sea cucumber is warm and tonic in nature, can regulate the five internal organs, and prolong life, it is comparable to ginseng, hence the name sea cucumber.
2. Sea Cucumber Varieties
1. Japanese spiky sea cucumber
The Japanese spiky sea cucumber is commonly known as “shaxun,” with a body length of 20—40 cm. Its body is soft, cylindrical in shape, and blackish brown, yellowish brown, or grayish white in color. The back is raised, with 4—6 conical fleshy spines of varying sizes arranged irregularly. The Japanese spiky sea cucumber is a relatively superior variety among sea cucumbers. The output of wild Japanese spiky sea cucumbers is very limited, and most on the market are farmed.
Place of origin: Dalian / Shandong / Japan / Korea / Russia and other places.
2. Red sea cucumber
The red sea cucumber is often pale red, orange-yellow, etc. It is named red sea cucumber because of its bright color. It lives in deep water at a depth of about 100-350 m. Its growth cycle is 1-2 years longer than that of ordinary Japanese spiky sea cucumbers, its flesh is thicker, and its spines are numerous and slender. The northern waters of the Yellow Sea in China were originally also rich in red sea cucumbers, but as marine pollution worsened day by day, Chinese red sea cucumbers have basically become extinct.
Place of origin: Northeast Asia (northern waters of the Yellow Sea, Sea of Japan, North Sea) and Vladivostok, Russia, the Bering Strait, with a small distribution also in Alaska, USA.
3. Golden spiky sea cucumber
The golden spiky sea cucumber is a type of Japanese spiky sea cucumber. Its color is relatively light, and the dried sea cucumber after processing appears yellow.
Place of origin: Americas
4. Black-paw sea cucumber
The black-paw sea cucumber is widely distributed but low in yield, and is rich in nutritional value, with a protein content of 54.31%.
Place of origin: Pacific coast of South America
5. Arctic sea cucumber (Arctic ginseng)
Arctic sea cucumber is produced in the North Atlantic off Canada. The highest surface water temperature in this area does not exceed 14°, and in winter it freezes over. It is sparsely populated year-round, with no pollution from industry, agriculture, or human activity nearby. Growing in such a good environment, the sea cucumber's body contains no pollutants, and because of its long growth period, its nutritional and health value is very high.
Place of raw materials: Central and North America
3. How Much Does Sea Cucumber Cost per Jin?
1. Fresh sea cucumber prices
Fresh sea cucumbers are mainly of two types: wild and artificially farmed. For artificially farmed sea cucumbers, the price is about 100 yuan to 200 yuan per jin; the price of wild ones is about 400-600 yuan.
2. Dried sea cucumber prices
Dried sea cucumbers mainly include light-dried sea cucumber, ready-to-eat sea cucumber, salt-dried sea cucumber, and freeze-dried sea cucumber. The specific prices are as follows:
| Variety | Price/jin |
| Light-dried sea cucumber | 3500-7000 |
| Salt-dried sea cucumber | 1500 |
| Sugar-dried sea cucumber | 1000-2000 |
| Ready-to-eat sea cucumber | 400-800 |
| Freeze-dried sea cucumber | 800 |
PS: From the perspective of dried sea cucumber varieties, it is better to choose light-dried sea cucumber when purchasing. Light-dried sea cucumber is further divided by salt content into four quality grades: top grade, grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3. Among them, the salt content of top-grade sea cucumber will not exceed 8%.
4. How Should Sea Cucumber Be Eaten for Nutrition?
Sea cucumber has both medicinal and edible value. For eating, there are mainly 5 methods.
1. Boil and eat: In the morning on an empty stomach, blanch the soaked sea cucumber in water or scald it briefly with hot water. Then eat the whole sea cucumber directly dipped in honey, Weijixian, or other sauces. This way of eating is the most conducive to the human body absorbing its nutrients.
2. Steam and eat: After steaming it thoroughly, put it on a plate and add various seasonings before eating.
3. Stew in soup: Put meat or pork ribs together with sea cucumber to make soup. This method is also very nutritious.
4. Stir-fry and eat: Put sea cucumber together with scallions, ginger, and other seasonings in a pan and stir-fry. Although this method loses some nutrients, the taste is very good.
5. Deep-fry and eat: Put it directly into a pan and deep-fry, but this is a relatively unhealthy way to eat it and loses the original nutritional value of sea cucumber.
Note: In fact, if you want to achieve health benefits from eating sea cucumber, the best approach is the simpler the better, because the more completely the nutrients are preserved. It is recommended to take it in the morning on an empty stomach. When choosing sea cucumber for tonic purposes, it is best to persist for a longer period, and there will be obvious effects in all aspects of the body. It is recommended that adults eat one sea cucumber a day or one every two days, and children should reduce the amount.
5. How Should Dried Sea Cucumber Be Selected?
Sea cucumber is different from other products and cannot be judged as good or bad solely by appearance or pictures. Mainly pay attention to the following points:
| Place of origin | “Supplement to the Compendium of Materia Medica” points out: “Sea cucumber, produced in Liaohai is good.” Among several major sea cucumber producing areas in China such as Shandong, Fujian, and Liaoning, sea cucumber produced in Dalian, Liaoning is even more high quality. |
| Appearance | Good dried sea cucumber has thick, upright spines of uneven thickness. Short, dense bottom feet and a large, firm mouth indicate good sea cucumber. It is normal for the color to be grayish brown or yellowish brown, with both dark and light shades. If it is too black, there may be additives, so pay attention to whether it is abnormal. |
| Smell | It smells with no obvious off odor, with a faint sea brininess. If you lightly lick the belly of the sea cucumber, there is a faint salty fresh taste of seawater; while salt-dried sea cucumber is very salty, and sugar-dried sea cucumber has a sweet taste. |
| Degree of dryness | Dried sea cucumber with no added sugar or salt has a dry, hard body. The spines of a dry sea cucumber will be hard and prickly to the hand, and it cannot be broken by hand. |
| Rehydration rate | Good sea cucumber is not easily broken after proper soaking, has thick and elastic flesh, and the length expansion ratio after soaking is about more than 2 times. |
6. Who Should Not Eat Sea Cucumber?
1. People with rheumatoid arthritis and gout are not suitable to eat it.
2. Children should eat as little sea cucumber as possible.
3. People with colds and fever are not suitable to eat it.
4. People with weak spleen and stomach and diarrhea are not suitable to eat it.
5. People with excessive liver fire are not suitable to eat it.
6. People allergic to seafood are not suitable to eat it.
7. People with kidney disease should pay attention to the amount consumed.
Sea cucumber is a food relatively high in protein, and it can also play a role in strengthening the body, preventing disease, and delaying aging. There is no problem in eating it in moderation, but you should still choose an appropriate amount according to your own constitution.