Are the sea cucumbers bought in supermarkets water-soaked or fresh? How to deal with the sea cucumbers bought in supermarkets?

We all know that sea cucumber is a popular seafood food. It is rich in nutrients and tastes delicious. Many people like to eat sea cucumber. Most sea cucumbers are bought frozen in supermarkets. So how to deal with the frozen sea cucumbers bought in supermarkets? Let's take a closer look!

How to deal with frozen sea cucumbers bought from supermarkets

There are generally two types of frozen sea cucumbers sold in supermarkets:

① Frozen sea cucumbers that have been well-prepared

This kind of sea cucumber should be marked on the packaging bag as ready to eat. Simply put, you can thaw it and make the corresponding dishes according to your favorite taste. You can also thaw it directly with boiling water and eat it with dipping sauce. It is recommended to read the instructions on the sea cucumber packaging. Go to a regular supermarket to buy regular products with manufacturers and places of origin. Generally, Dalian Changhai ready-to-eat sea cucumbers are better.

② Semi-finished frozen sea cucumber

This type is rare in the market now. Generally, live sea cucumbers are boiled and frozen after absorbing water. It is recommended to thaw one of this type of sea cucumber first. Feel the hardness with your hands. If it is difficult to pinch with your hands, it is recommended that you wash it with clean water. Then take a pressure cooker and put the sea cucumber in it and add pure water to the same level as the sea cucumber. Press on low heat for 5-8 minutes and let it cool naturally. Open the pot to check the soaking status of the sea cucumber. If you can penetrate it with chopsticks, you can pick it out and wash it (the pressed sea cucumber is relatively dirty) and remove the internal organs and sand mouth. Soak it in ice water and refrigerate it in the refrigerator. Generally, it will reach the ideal state in 24 hours (Note: The container for soaking sea cucumbers must be oil-free and salt-free. Also pay attention to the hardness of the thawed sea cucumber to determine the time for pressing in the pressure cooker. Be careful not to over-press the sea cucumber. If the sea cucumber is hard, you can continue to press and soak it. If it is over-pressed and soft, there is no room for maneuver)

How to choose sea cucumber

1. Look at the color

If you want to choose a good sea cucumber, you should first look at the short and thick ones. The slender ones that look good are not necessarily good sea cucumbers. In addition, you can also choose ready-to-eat sea cucumbers by looking at the sea cucumber spines. Usually, the spines of high-quality ready-to-eat sea cucumbers are relatively upright and the skin is very intact, giving people the feeling that they are good sea cucumbers at first glance. The spines of this ready-to-eat sea cucumber that will be on the shelves soon are upright and the tendons are white. On the contrary, inferior ones, such as ready-to-eat sea cucumbers that are mixed with caustic soda for foaming, will have "explosive skin" on the surface and the spines will also be broken.

2. Smell

If you smell the sea cucumber after it is cut, there is a faint natural fragrance of sea cucumber, which shows that the sea cucumber is fresh and no other ingredients are added.

There are many tricks in the processing of sea cucumbers. Consumers must keep their eyes open to avoid buying low-quality sea cucumbers from unscrupulous merchants. The additives commonly used in processing ready-to-eat sea cucumbers are nothing more than some caustic soda, formaldehyde and some preservatives. You may open the bag and smell the sea cucumbers you buy home. Sea cucumbers that are not adulterated or the water used to soak them should only have a light smell of sea water. There is no strong smell when caustic soda is used, but the smell of drugs is strong.

3. Look at the meat quality and taste

The elasticity of sea cucumbers is very important. First of all, you need to judge whether the sea cucumber is moist or not by touching it with your hands. Some sea cucumbers have seriously exceeded the moisture standard, which can be felt by touching it with your hands. Good sea cucumbers feel particularly good and elastic, while those of low-quality sea cucumbers feel soft and lack elasticity.

Sea cucumber recipe

Crispy Sea Cucumber

Main ingredients: 5 sea cucumbers

Seasoning: soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar

Accessories: minced meat, mushrooms, carrots, onions, ginger, flour, eggs, bread crumbs, cooked sesame seeds

Production process:

1. Soak the sea cucumbers thoroughly. Put a little water and oyster sauce in a pot. Add onions, ginger, star anise, and sugar. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Pour out and let it cool until the temperature reaches 40-50 degrees. Put the soaked sea cucumbers in until they are well-seasoned.

2. Chop mushrooms and carrots into small pieces. Heat oil in a pan, add scallions and ginger, and fry until fragrant. Add minced meat, mushrooms, and carrots and fry until fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside. Mix breadcrumbs and appropriate amount of sesame seeds and set aside.

3. Take out the sea cucumber after it is soaked. Dry it with kitchen paper. Apply a little flour inside the sea cucumber. Then stuff it with the fried stuffing. Seal the opening with a toothpick and set aside

4. Coat the prepared sea cucumber with flour and egg liquid. Put it in bread crumbs and coat it evenly. Heat a large amount of oil in a pan until it is 40% to 50% hot and fry until golden and crispy. Remove from the pan.

Sea cucumber cooking techniques

① The sea cucumber should be soaked until it is well-seasoned. The amount of water should be enough to cover the sea cucumber. Do not add too much water. The water temperature should not be too high when the sea cucumber is added.

② Stir-fry the meat filling and mushroom spices. Seasoning should be slightly lighter. Wipe the sea cucumber dry. Add a little flour to increase adhesion. Stuff the fried fillings in. Use a toothpick to seal it.

③ Apply flour, egg and bread crumbs evenly, firmly and firmly to prevent the food from getting burnt when put into the pan.

④ When frying, the oil in the pan should be wide. When the oil temperature is 40% to 50% hot, add the sea cucumber and fry until golden and crispy. Then remove and place on a plate. Do not fry the sea cucumber for too long. Make sure it is crispy.

Summarize:

It is recommended to buy frozen sea cucumbers that are ready to eat right out of the bag. It is convenient and quick. Fried sea cucumbers are quite popular recently. They mainly cater to some consumer groups who like to eat fried foods.