How to eat a jellyfish

My supervisor, Daniel Pauly, always said that if we continue to harvest fish stocks at the rate we do, soon we'll be eating jellyfish. Though the gelatinous creature has been a pretty common menu item in China and Japan for many years, it certainly seems to be making quite an appearance even in those countries, slowly replacing more sought after fish, no doubt as a result of overfishing of prized species and vast proliferation of all sorts of jellies.

So it was with a smile and a pinch in the heart that I read the following article on the BBC this morning:

Choosing to eat jellyfish is all about cultural attitudes, according to Carme Ruscalleda, a celebrated chef at work in the kitchen of her Michelin-starred restaurant next to the beach in Sant Pol del Mar, on the Catalan coast. "Put jellyfish on the table in front of a European diner, and they'll say 'oh no, it's a monster from the sea, a nasty thing that stings'. "Serve it to someone from Japan or China and they'll say it's the perfect garnish for a summer dish, something delicious and good for you", she says. Ms Ruscalleda is particularly excited about the health-giving properties attributed to jellyfish. "The Chinese," she says, "say it improves the cardio-vascular system, balances blood pressure, improves cholesterol levels, helps the joints, is good for the skin. I sometimes joke that jellyfish can cure everything except a case of flat feet".

...and call me skeptical, but the Chinese seem to attribute health properties to almost anything, and though I am willing to listen and happy to acquiesce if presented with sufficient information, jellyfish??????

All this sadly points to the fact that are oceans are in trouble... we've been saying so for years, but within the comfort zones of our daily lives we often feel too lazy to change anything and there is a general lack of willingness at the upper political levels to impose any changes necessary to harvest oceans in a sustainable way. If we were to visualise in a "terrestrial' way what goes on underwater when fishing most of us would call it criminal and abstain....
So, if we are serving jellyfish, one of the lowest items in the foodchain, we are in serious trouble and tomorrow those wars will indeed be fought over water and food...

Take a small step and get yourself a seafood pocket guide - you can even download some of these to your iphone, so no excuses:
In Canada Seachoice
in the US Monterey Bay Aquarium
In the UK MCS for general info and here the guide