June 24, 2012

Jellyfish Salad 涼拌海蜇

chinese, jellyfish, jellyfish salad, marinated jellyfish salad, recipe, 涼拌, 海蜇

A really weird yet delicious Chinese delicacy food is marinated jellyfish salad.  That's right, jellyfish, those delicately glowing  creatures of trailing tentacles and mushroom bodies that float like so many deadly but beautiful sea fairies through the ocean's waters.

Humm, how ever did my Chinese ancestors ever figure out you can eat this?  Well, I guess this is just more proof that the Chinese eat everything under the sun!

Jellyfish (photo by Dan90266)

This jellyfish dish is pretty simple to prepare and is really very tasty and has a special textural crunch all of its own.  It is especially good during the long hot months since this is a vinegary cold dish and therefore very cool and refreshing to the palate.  

You will need to go to the wet market to buy the jellyfish which are usually sold by some (not all) of the dried goods purveyors (selling dried shrimps, scallops, mushrooms, etc).  Look for big plastic bags that have stacks of heavily salted whitish to brownish folded rubbery sheets inside.  You could buy a bit more than you need for a meal as the jellyfish will keep in its salted condition.  


Once you have it home you need to rinse the salt off and cut it into 1/4 inch strands and then soak it in cool water overnight, changing the water until the taste of the jellyfish is not salty anymore (just bite a bit off the jelly to taste: it should taste neutral).  After this point is reached the rest is easy, just a quick mix with the flavoring and into the fridge to chill until the rest of the dinner or lunch is ready.  Yum, yum!  It's really great as a refreshing pickled kind of small dish for your chinese dinner.

chinese, jellyfish, jellyfish salad, marinated jellyfish salad, recipe, 涼拌, 海蜇
Jellyfish Salad Recipe 涼拌海蜇
Prep time: 10 mins  Soaking time: 2 hrs Cook time: 1 min

Ingredients:


Directions:

Rinse the salt off the jellyfish and cut into long shreds of 1/4 inch thickness.  Soak the jellyfish shreds in a large bowl filled with cool water over night, changing the water several times until the jellyfish tastes neutral and not salty.  If in a hurry you may try changing the water very frequently for a couple of hours until the jellyfish tastes neutral.  

Drain out the water and put jellyfish back into the large bowl.  Pour enough boiling water over jellyfish to cover, give it a good stir.  Once you can feel the soft jellyfish texture tighten up (creating a nice crunch), about a half a minute or so, remove and plunge into ice cold water to stop cooking.  Once jellyfish is cool drain throughly.  

Add salt, mix and let sit in fridge for 10-15 mins to extrude water.  Squeeze the jellyfish as dry as possible.

Add the jellyfish, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil and chili peppers into mixing bowl.  Mix and taste.  Adjust seasonings as necessary:  it should have a balance of sweet, salty and sour.  Pour into serving bowl, cover and put in the fridge to chill and marinate at least one hour* or until the rest of the dinner is ready.  Just before serving give it a quick stir.

*Tip:  If you're in a hurry (like I always am!) you can cheat by putting your jellyfish in the freezer for 10 mins or until thoroughly chilled before serving.

Google

13 comments:

  1. New to me. Surprising!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi PonponMouffe - Jellyfish is only one of the many weird things that the Chinese cuisine has explored! ~ellen

      Delete
  2. I'm Japanese so jellyfish is not weird to me! I like to make a combination of jellyfish and tender slow cooked jumbo squid slices into a salad. Sometimes I add rice noodles or bean threads. Fresh minced ginger is a good addition. Never too much in this home because it doesn't last long!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey paizley - OMGosh that sounds so yummy! What kind of dressing do you use? ~ellen

      Delete
    2. Shame she never responded... it sounds delish!

      Delete
  3. Can you please offer recommendations for jellyfish brands

    ReplyDelete
  4. As we always make from scratch, I can't recommend any premixed jelly fish brands. I would try to find ones without msg or too many weird chemicals. But really, this stuff tastes so much better if you make it yourself ~ellen

    ReplyDelete
  5. Just bought some fresh (unsalted, not preserved) jelly fish. Do I need to cook it first? How do I prepare it for the cold dish you have above?

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've never come across fresh jelly fish! Only ever seen the salt preserved ones. So, sorry, have no idea how to prepare. I imagine that the texture of fresh jelly fish might be quite different from the salt preserved ones so this recipe may not apply to fresh jelly fish. ~ellen

    ReplyDelete
  7. Where can you buy Jellyfish? Years ago my Mother bought it at daido in ft lee NJ, but I cant seem to find any on-line or in Asian grocer

    ReplyDelete
  8. Where can I purchase salted jellyfish via on-line , or in Houston TX

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've located a source for online purchase of salted jellyfish and added the link to the both the blog post and the ingredient list. Finally it's available, yay! ~ellen

    ReplyDelete
  10. thank you I'm looking forward to a nice jellyfish salad

    ReplyDelete