How to tell common sea cucumber species apart? A full guide to market buying and selection tips
Sea cucumber ranks alongside ginseng, bird's nest and shark fin as one of the world's eight great delicacies. Sea cucumbers are widely distributed across the major ocean groups and are a common marine organism. It is said that sea cucumbers date back more than 600 million years, and there are as many as a thousand or more species of sea cucumber in the sea, while more than forty species on the market are edible. Although the wide variety of species causes purchasing confusion for consumers, it still cannot dampen consumers' enthusiasm. Below, the editor of Nongxun Network will introduce several common sea cucumber species on the market, and at the same time offer some small suggestions for buying and selecting.
Several common types of sea cucumber species
1. Spiky sea cucumber
The spiky sea cucumber, also known as the sea rat, is mainly produced in Japan, Korea, Russia and China's Shandong and other places. The spiky sea cucumber is a typical high-protein, low-fat food with high nutritional value, and it sells briskly on the market. Its appearance is mainly yellowish-brown or chestnut black, with a body length of about 20cm, and the greatest benefit of the spiky sea cucumber is that it has a great effect on diabetes and cancer.
2. Red sea cucumber
The red sea cucumber, as its name suggests, usually has a pale red body surface. The red sea cucumber generally lives in deep water at a depth of about 100 m to 300 m, so its growth cycle is generally 1-2 years longer than that of the ordinary spiky sea cucumber. The main point is that the red sea cucumber's flesh is more plump and thick, with many fine, long spines, and its nutritional value is the highest among the sea cucumbers discovered so far.
3. Black sea cucumber
The black sea cucumber is mainly produced in China's Xisha Islands and the southern part of Hainan Island and other sea areas. The black sea cucumber's body color is mainly blackish-brown or dark brown, with a body length of about 20-30cm. Its most obvious feature is that the tube feet on the ventral surface are small and dense, arranged irregularly, and the ends of the tube feet are white.
4. Flower spiky sea cucumber
The flower spiky sea cucumber is mainly distributed in Guangdong's Shixiongzhou Island, Hainan Island and the Xisha Islands and other places. Its feature is that its body color varies greatly, ranging from deep yellow or yellowish-gray, and all bear net-like patterns or spots of different colors. The flower spiky sea cucumber's flesh is relatively soft and tender, so it is also relatively popular with consumers. It should be noted that after harvesting, the flower spiky sea cucumber must be processed promptly to avoid spoilage.
How do you select sea cucumbers when buying them?
Because there are many sea cucumber species on the market, resulting in uneven quality, you must select carefully when buying sea cucumbers and earnestly distinguish the pros and cons among different varieties. So how do you tell them apart? Here is a small suggestion, which is to learn to "observe, smell, ask and feel". Generally, seafood on the seafood market that looks bright and glossy has usually been artificially processed, and will contain many additive ingredients.
When selecting, you can gently tap the sea cucumber; if it makes a sound, it is generally a natural product of relatively good quality. In terms of shape, good-quality dried sea cucumber is relatively plump, with straight spines and a small, light body. In terms of color, after being soaked in water, the sea cucumber takes on an agate color, with high elasticity, a soft and glutinous mouthfeel, and no off-odor.
The above is an introduction to sea cucumber species and related selection suggestions. For consumers, buying the right one is far more important than buying an expensive one; it can not only effectively distinguish those inferior sea cucumber varieties that affect your health, but also maximize the nutritional value of the sea cucumber.
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