Food on Friday: Sea Cucumbers – Could You Eat Them?

While on a boat trip to one of the islands on the Ria Formosa the boat’s skipper proudly introduced us to these slimey critters.

Sea cucumbers or “Sea rats” as they are aptly nicknamed by some fishers and divers because of how they move and feed—slowly crawling over the seabed, cleaning up waste and debris like rats rummaging. through scraps on land.

Sea rats? Rats!!!

Despite their name, sea cucumbers are not vegetables—they’re squishy, soft-bodied marine animals that live on the ocean floor.

As you can see from my phototgraphs they have long, tube-like bodies that can look a bit like fat worms or squishy pickles. Most of them crawl slowly across the seabed, cleaning as they go: they eat sand or mud, digest the bits of organic matter inside, and then expel the rest. In doing so, they help recycle nutrients—sort of the ocean’s vacuum cleaners.

Can You Eat Sea Cucumbers?

Apparently, yes. In many parts of the world, especially across Asia, sea cucumbers are considered a delicacy. My stomach is already doing cartwheels just writing this.

They’re eaten fresh, dried, or in soups and stews. The texture is soft with a jelly consistency, and the flavor is mild—people often say it’s more about the sauce or broth it’s cooked in.

They’re also valued in traditional Chinese medicine, believed to support joint and skin health (though evidence for that is mixed).

How to prepare them?

When people prepare them, they usually start by cleaning and boiling the sea cucumber to soften it. Dried ones need to be soaked for days before cooking.

To be honest I don´t feel brave enough to try. —–I will put them in the same ‘YUCK’ box as oysters.

Would you ever try one, or does it sound a bit too adventurous?

Further research

I’ve not seen them on a menu in Portugal or perhaps the name got lost in translation. I asked the question

In Portuguese, sea cucumbers are called “pepinos-do-mar.”

It literally means “cucumbers of the sea.” You’ll sometimes also see local or regional names like “holotúrias” (from their scientific class, Holothuroidea).

So:

• Pepino-do-mar = common everyday name.
• Holotúria = more scientific or formal.

Kind of charming that both languages landed on “cucumber.”

https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/deep-sea-creatures.htm

https://www.thespruceeats.com/sea-cucumber-overview-695159

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