Trepang (sea cucumber). Sea cucumber - a delicacy for gourmets Shellfish sea cucumbers information

Sea cucumber (sea cucumber) or sea cucumber (lat. Holoturoidea) is an invertebrate animal belonging to the echinoderm type. The most famous representatives: Japanese and cucumaria. The creature is unique in its structure, appearance, protective capabilities, and also has a number of useful substances. They are actively used in medicinal purposes, and sea cucumber meat makes delicious dietary dishes. In ancient China, the animal was called “sea ginseng”.

How many and what types of sea cucumbers are there?

Number of species: 1100.

There are 6 squads:

Scientists have identified sea cucumbers in the Caribbean Sea that are significantly different from their counterparts. Enypniastes eximia or pink sea cucumber resembles a jellyfish in appearance. Biologists jokingly call it the “headless chicken.” Bioluminescence, movement in the water column (able to swim up to 1 km) – special abilities this representative.

What they look like

Those who see sea egg capsules for the first time describe them as large earthworms or snails without a shell.

The animal has its own distinctive features from other invertebrate representatives:

1. The body of the holothurian is oblong, trapezoidal, slightly flattened laterally. It has thick, elastic walls. Represented by the musculocutaneous sac. If you take a closer look at the animal, you can see a mouth with tentacles and an anus. The body of the holothurian consists of two parts: dorsal and abdominal.
2. The surface is rough when touched and externally wrinkled.
3. Color: black, red, green.
4. The length for each representative is different: from 3 cm to 2 m. There are exceptions to the rules, for example, Synapta maculate reaches 5 m.
5. The weight of an adult can reach up to 1.5 kg.

It should be noted that the sea cucumber has the ability to regenerate. If there is a violation of the integrity of the skin bag, over time, the lost or damaged area is restored.

The structure of holothuria

The skeleton is represented by calcareous bones.

The muscular frame consists of 5 longitudinal muscles that are attached around the esophagus. One end of the body is represented by the mouth, from which there is a spiral intestine, the second - by the anus.

Breathing is carried out using the ambulacral system and water lungs, which open into the cloaca in front of the anus.

The blood circulation system is highly branched. The greatest concentration of blood vessels is observed near the intestines. Oxygen saturation of the blood occurs through the vessels that surround the left lung. The vessels from the right lung go to the entire body.

Nervous system: peripharyngeal nerve ring and 5 radially located nerves. The sense organs are tentacles, and the balance organs are statocysts.

Ambeocytes are present to secrete the final products of metabolism.

The gonad is a reproductive organ resembling finger-shaped tubes.

Where does the sea cucumber live?

Main locations: China, Japan, Malay Archipelago, Pacific Ocean waters, near the Philippine Islands.

The Far East is a place where active fishing for cucumaria and Japanese sea cucumber takes place.

Sea egg pods prefer warm, shallow places, hiding in algae or in the surface layers of silt. IN fresh water the animal does not live (with the exception of representatives of the legless order).

Features of behavior and movement

Holothurians live in herds, but move independently, alone. Depending on the presence and length of the ambulacral legs, the speed and ability to move is different for each person. Some individuals do not have special outgrowths, so they move using peristaltic movements, pushing off the surface with calcareous bones.

Lifestyle and nutrition

In most cases, the animal is sedentary, and therefore is easy prey for other inhabitants of the seabed (crustaceans, fish, starfish). To protect itself when attacked, the holothurian throws out the back part of its internal organs. This creates a distraction and allows the front of the sea cucumber to hide. Complete regeneration occurs in 6-8 weeks.

Dangerous or not

The sea capsule lives in symbiosis with fish. They are located inside the animal, namely, in the anus and water lungs. The release of toxic substances occurs solely for protection.

So is it poisonous or not? Some species are capable of secreting toxic cuover tubes when necessary. The poison is only dangerous for small marine animals. Sea egg pods are completely safe for humans.

What does it eat?

Plankton and organic particles are the basis of holothurian nutrition. By passing water through the tentacles, microorganisms and plankton are retained in the animal’s mouth. To do this, there are 10-30 tentacles that are placed around the mouth.

Researchers claim that sea cucumbers have a bipolar apparatus for feeding. In other words, food enters in two ways: through the mouth and the anus.

The search for food is carried out in the evening or at night. In the autumn-winter period, sea cucumbers practically do not eat. Intensification of the search for food occurs at the beginning of spring.

After spawning, males hibernate to recuperate and eat almost nothing. Then, having woken up, they begin an active search for food.

Reproduction

Spawning time: June – September.

During fertilization, the male and female individuals stretch upward, assuming a vertical body position, and begin to sway. The process begins when the exchange of reproductive products takes place at the connection of the genital openings.

Among the representatives there are unisexual (synthesize male and female sex hormones) and dioecious. The maturation of male reproductive cells and eggs occurs in the gonads, then the reproductive products are released out through the genital duct.

In most holothurians, the process of conception and development of the embryo is external. With the help of tentacles, the eggs are attached to the dorsal part of the body. Sometimes the formation of an embryo occurs inside an adult. The eggs become larvae - dipleuroles. After a few days they turn into auricularia, and then into dolioralia, vitellaria and penctatula.

The lifespan of holothurians is about 10 years.

Is it possible to breed sea egg pods in captivity?

Since sea cucumber is quite valuable and useful product, its populations are almost destroyed in wildlife. That is why sea cucumbers are bought exclusively from farms where they are grown individually. Sea cucumbers are bred in Russia, Far East.

Is it possible to keep sea cucumber at home?

Chemical composition

Sea cucumber contains dietary protein. Rich in amino acids, macro and microelements: potassium, magnesium, iodine, fluorine, cobalt, copper, bromine, chlorine, nickel, calcium, iron. Also present are dietary fiber, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins B and C, and nicotinic acid (PP). Acidity is 15.95.

Useful properties in medicine

The benefits of eating sea cucumber meat have a positive effect on health:

• Accelerates the rehabilitation period after surgery or illness.
• Far Eastern medicine has been using raw sea cucumber meat for many years to normalize metabolism and lower blood pressure.
• It has a positive effect on arthritis (inflammation of the joints).
• Sea cucumber extract has a good effect on the nervous and cardiovascular systems.
• Cosmetology uses preparations based on sea cucumber for rejuvenation procedures.
• Improves the functioning of the endocrine system.
• Since ancient times, sea cucumber has been considered a strong aphrodisiac. It was used to treat prostatitis in men, as well as restore male sexual function.
• Calorie content of 100 g of product: 35 kcal. Therefore, edible sea cucumbers are recommended for use by people who control their weight; they are excellent for weight loss.
• The beneficial properties of sea cucumber in medicine are aimed at restoring the level of immune defense.
• Depression goes away, fatigue disappears.

Contraindications

It should be remembered that for pregnant women, during breastfeeding, children under 15 years of age, as well as for hyperfunction (hyperthyroidism, thyrotoxicosis) of the thyroid gland, use is strictly prohibited.

What types of medications are there?

There are capsules, extract with honey, as well as extracts.

The form of the drug is selected individually.

Sea cucumber recipes

Before preparing it, you should know that dietary sea cucumber meat is quite specific - it is tasteless. Therefore, you should not expect taste pleasure from such food. But such dishes will bring enormous health benefits. Most famous recipes preparing edible sea cucumbers:

1. Residents of Far Eastern countries eat raw sea cucumber. To do this, the carcass is thoroughly cleaned of entrails and washed. Then finely chop it and infuse it in soy sauce.
2. Skoblyanka is a hot dish, served on its own or as a side dish.

You will need:

• Peeled, cut into pieces sea cucumber.
• Onion
• Salt, pepper, spices to taste
• Tomato
• Sunflower or butter.

Preparation:

Boil the carcass until soft. Fry the onion until golden, add boiled meat, salt, pepper, and tomato. After frying, let simmer for about 5 minutes. Add garlic if desired.

1. With vegetables - enough tasty dish, can be used as a side dish.

You will need:

• Boiled sea cucumber meat 2-3 pcs.
• Carrots 2 pcs.
• Cabbage 200-300g
• Onions 2 pcs.
• Smoked chicken breast 100-150g
• Green onions 3-4 feathers
• Parsley
• Ginger root 100g
• Butter 6 tbsp.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Sesame 1-3 tbsp.

Preparation:

Boil the chopped meat and ginger. Mix chopped herbs with meat. Then send it to stew with the cabbage. After 5 minutes (or when the cabbage is ready), add the fried onions and carrots. Simmer over low heat until fully cooked for 10-15 minutes. Serve with sesame seeds.

1. Sea cucumber with honey – medicine. All beneficial features saved. To prepare honey extract from sea cucumber yourself, cut the meat into half rings and dry. Add honey, maintaining a 1:1 ratio. Leave in a cool place for 2 months, stirring occasionally. Take 1 tbsp. 15-20 minutes before meals.

Holothuroidea Blainville, 1834

The modern fauna is represented by 1,150 species, divided into 6 orders, which differ from each other in the shape of the tentacles and calcareous ring, as well as the presence of some internal organs. About 100 species are found in Russia. The oldest fossils of holothurians date from the Silurian period.

Holothurians are relatives of sea stars and urchins.

Biology

Unlike other echinoderms, holothurians lie “on their side” at the bottom, with the side bearing three rows of ambulacral legs ( trivium) is ventral, and the side with two rows of ambulacral legs ( bivium) dorsal. In deep-sea holothurians, the ambulacral legs can be greatly elongated and used as stilts. Some species move due to peristaltic contractions of the muscles of the body wall, pushing off from the ground with protruding calcareous bones.

Most sea cucumbers are black, brown or greenish in color. Body length varies from 3 cm to 1-2 meters, although one species ( Synapta maculata) reaches 5 m.

Lifestyle and nutrition

Holothurians are sedentary or crawling animals found in almost any part of the ocean - from the coastal strip to deep-sea depressions; most abundant in tropical coral reef environments. Most species are bottom-dwelling, but there are also pelagic ones. They usually lie “on their side”, raising the front, oral end. Holothurians feed on plankton and organic debris extracted from bottom silt and sand, which is passed through the digestive canal. Other species filter food from bottom waters with tentacles covered with sticky mucus.

In case of severe irritation, the back part of the intestine is thrown out through the anus along with the water lungs, scaring off or distracting the attackers; Lost organs are quickly restored. In some species, Cuvier's tubules containing toxins are also released. Sea cucumbers are hunted by sea stars, gastropods, fish and crustaceans. Fish called fieraspheres ( Fierasfer), sometimes pea crabs ( Pinnotheres).

Reproduction and development

Life expectancy is from 5 to 10 years.

Economic importance

Some species of sea cucumbers, especially from the genera Stychopus And Cucumaria, are eaten as “trepangs”. IN

Sea cucumbers belong to invertebrate animals of the echinoderm type, in general, to mollusks. The currently existing 1150 species, included in 6 orders, have differences in appearance, color, shape of tentacles and rings, as well as internal structure. The closest relatives are sea urchins and stars. In Russia there are about 100 species of these worm-like animals, the most popular of which are the Far Eastern sea cucumber and Japanese sea cucumber (cucumaria), from which delicious and healthy dishes are prepared.

Appearance of sea cucumber sea cucumber

Sea cucumber holothuria - a unique inhabitant underwater world. It looks like both a large, clumsy caterpillar and a huge worm. The soft body of these invertebrate animals, depending on the species, can be rough or smooth, and can be covered with long or short outgrowths. Representatives of sea cucumbers are colored black, brown, green, gray or red. Sea cucumbers, depending on the species, also differ in size, which varies from 0.5 centimeters to 5 meters, which makes them attractive to sea hunters.

The sea cucumber, the photo of which is presented, is slow and crawls leisurely, alternately stretching and contracting. In their normal state, cucumbers lie on one side, which makes them much easier to catch.

Medicinal properties of sea cucumbers

The sterility of the meat, the complete absence of viruses or diseases, the huge iodine content - all this is a sea cucumber. The medicinal properties of the product allow it to be used as a natural remedy for quick recovery strength after illness or surgery. Eastern doctors prescribe delicious trephine meat to accelerate tissue regeneration, stimulate the heart muscle, lower blood pressure, normalize metabolic processes and even get rid of tachycardia and bradycardia.

Another beneficial property of sea cucumber is its healing effect on joints, which is used in the treatment of arthritis. Substances contained in the meat of marine life can relieve pain and reduce joint stiffness.

Sea cucumber extract obtained from unique recipe oriental medicine. Sea cucumber extract has exactly the same beneficial medicinal properties as its fresh meat. It is especially recommended to be used as a dietary supplement by older people and those who suffer from chronic diseases. Chinese doctors claim that the extract saturates the body with a complex of essential elements, improves immunity, cardiovascular and nervous systems, prolongs life. Cucumaria sea cucumber tissue contains vitamins C and B, calcium, phosphorus, iodine, chlorine and amino sugars. Toxic substances holothurins are widely used in pharmacology.

Thus, the delicious meat of marine invertebrates is an excellent raw material for the production of unique medicinal extracts, as well as extracts, on the basis of which medications. They also cook from sea cucumber delicious salads and eat it as an independent dish (fried, stewed or canned).

Using sea cucumber as food

Some types of sea cucumber, also called sea cucumbers, are eaten and considered real delicacies. Fishing for invertebrate animals is carried out off the coast of China, Japan and in the south Pacific Ocean, in Russia - in the Far East.

Sea cucumber (you can choose the cooking recipe to suit your taste) can be fried, dried, or canned. This is an incredibly tasty and healthy product. One “but”: it becomes tasty only when cooked with some aromatic products, since they absorb odors perfectly. The Japanese eat it raw, believing that it gives a general strengthening and healing effect. Indeed, the sea animal contains vitamins, beneficial amino acids and trace elements.

Fresh sea cucumber appetizer

Thoroughly cleaned and washed sea cucumber is cut into small pieces and poured soy sauce and season with garlic to taste. Marinate for 5 minutes. One large sea cucumber is enough for a whole company of six people.

Chinese recipes from boiled sea cucumber

• Trepang (sea cucumber), the photo of which is presented below, is boiled in boiling water. For the finished dish, they are cut into slices and sprinkled with carrot sauce.
• Sea cucumber makes very tasty soup, if you add fragrant Chinese mushrooms with young bamboo shoots to it. This is a super healthy food.
• Dried sea cucumbers are pre-soaked for several hours and then boiled and used in salads or snacks.

Recipe for sea cucumber with vegetables

Soak two boiled frozen cucumbers in cold water for 20 minutes.

Rinse thoroughly and cut into 2.5 centimeter thick pieces.

Fill a deep saucepan halfway with water and place over medium heat.

Peel 100 g of ginger root, cut into cubes and place in a saucepan.

When the water boils, place the sea cucumbers there for 2 minutes, then drain in a colander and place in a dry container.

Peel and cut 2 carrots and 2 onions into thin strips, also chop 200-300 g of cabbage.

Separately cut 200 g of smoked brisket into cubes.

Place a frying pan with 3 tbsp on medium heat. oil and add cabbage, simmer for 15 minutes.

Add a little water to prevent it from burning, pepper and add the smoked brisket, simmer, stirring, for 15 minutes.

In another frying pan, fry in 3 tbsp. oil onions and carrots, add finely chopped green onions and parsley (3 feathers each), sea cucumbers, simmer for 5 minutes.

When the cabbage becomes translucent, add the mixture from the second pan, sprinkle with sesame seeds and cover with a lid. Stirring occasionally, cook the dish for 10-15 minutes over low heat. Add a little salt and let it brew for 5-7 minutes. Served with hot sauces hot.

Sea cucumber caviar recipe

Boiled sea cucumber is ground in a large meat grinder.

Onions are chopped, carrots are grated.

Sea cucumber with vegetables is stewed for 15 minutes in a frying pan in oil, you can add fresh tomatoes or pasta. Salt and pepper to taste. Can be seasoned with soy sauce.

"Skoblyanka" from sea cucumber

Salt is fried in a frying pan, 100 g is added vegetable oil and fry 2 onions, cut into rings.

Boiled sea cucumber is cut crosswise into rings and added to the pan with onions.

After a couple of minutes, add two large tomatoes cut into slices or two spoons of tomato paste, salt, and ground black pepper.

Let it boil for a few minutes, turn off the heat, and cool. Squeeze a clove of garlic and let it brew under the lid.

You can often find dried sea cucumbers on sale, covered with black coal dust - this protects them from spoilage. To prepare a dish from such a shellfish, you must first soak it in cold water for two days, periodically replacing the water. But the sea cucumber will increase several times in volume. Before subjecting it to heat treatment, the abdomen is cut and cleaned of entrails.

Cook the sea cucumber for 2-3 hours until soft. And then you can use it to prepare hodgepodge, cabbage soup, all kinds of salads, appetizers, vegetable casseroles and other dishes. Whatever you choose as a culinary experiment, you will be satisfied in any case!

Diets and healthy eating 17.01.2018

Dear readers, in Chinese, Japanese and Korean cuisines, sea cucumber is considered a delicacy, the taste of which is so appreciated by true gourmets. It is served both fresh and as the main ingredient in soups and sauces. Today, my blog reader Yulia Khoroshilova will talk about these sea animals and why they are so popular in Asia. I give her the floor.

Hello, dear readers of Irina’s blog. Many gourmets are interested in a dish made from sea cucumbers. This echinoderm contains no microbes or viruses, so it is considered effective in treating pathologies of the stomach, liver and kidneys. According to research, sea cucumber meat contains substances that have anti-cancer properties.

What is a sea cucumber?

Holothurians, or sea cucumbers, are a class of invertebrate animals such as echinoderms. The Far Eastern sea cucumber and cucumber are varieties of sea cucumbers; they live mainly in the Sea of ​​Japan, the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, and Sakhalin. All types of sea cucumbers that are eaten are also called sea cucumbers.

Sea cucumber, depending on the type, can be red, black, or green. This interesting name Pliny gave them, and it is connected with the fact that when touched, the body of sea cucumbers shrinks and takes the shape of a cucumber. Let's see what a sea cucumber looks like in the photo.

Sea cucumber. Photo

The healing power of sea cucumber is legendary. In Japan, it is called sea ginseng and is credited with unprecedented healing properties.

Composition and calorie content

The calorie content of sea cucumber is quite low - 100 g contains 35 kcal. The composition of the meat of these echinoderms is considered unique, which determines the beneficial properties that it possesses. In addition, it is dietary due to its low fat content - 100 g of product contains less than 1 g of fat.

Due to its high protein content, sea cucumber helps maintain muscle tone, has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin, and fights infectious and inflammatory processes in the body. The tissues of sea cucumber contain a large amount of vitamins B and C, holothurins, chlorine, phosphorus and calcium.

It is reliably known that this product does not contain microbes or viruses, and its cells are sterile.

Niacin

By regularly including sea cucumber in your diet, you provide the body with the necessary amount of niacin. Vitamin B3 (PP) helps against heart disease, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and cognitive disorders.

This substance is also invaluable for cellular communication and gives strength to the body. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, a diet enriched with this product significantly reduces the risk of developing cancer.

Riboflavin

Sea shellfish is rich in vitamin B2, which is an essential water-soluble substance and a participant in many biochemical processes. Riboflavin acts as a transport link delivering useful material for tissues and organ systems. This is a unique vitamin of beauty and health, so it is recommended to include sea cucumber in your diet. Eastern healers are convinced that it contains the secret of longevity.

Iron

Everyone knows that seafood is rich in iron, which saturates the body with oxygen and normalizes blood circulation. Therefore, the benefit of sea cucumber sea cucumber is that it eliminates the deficiency of a useful microelement and thereby ensures strong immunity.

Beneficial features

At the moment, research on the beneficial properties and contraindications of sea cucumber is quite limited. However, as a result of clinical trials, certain positive impacts, which it is capable of exerting on the body.

Sea cucumber contains neither microbes nor viruses, so this product is considered useful in the treatment of diabetes, cardiovascular pathologies, and brain diseases. The product is effective means therapy intestinal infection, acting as an antiviral agent.

In alternative medicine, sea cucumber is used to treat the following problems:

• bowel disorder in the form of constipation;
• erectile dysfunction in men;
• colds;
• periodontitis;
• hypertension;
• elevated cholesterol levels;
• osteoarthritis.

Representatives traditional medicine We are convinced that the main beneficial property of sea cucumber is its ability to slow down the aging process and the development of tumor-like neoplasms of a malignant nature.

Cholesterol control

Along with food, organic lipids enter the body, which are necessary to maintain human health. However, excess cholesterol is in first place among the causes of the development of atherosclerosis, the deposition of plaques in blood vessels.

According to recent scientific research, sea cucumber helps control the levels of these compounds in the blood. In 2002, an article was published in the journal Agricultural and Food Chemistry, which stated that sea cucumber reduces bad cholesterol while increasing good cholesterol.

Gum health

Based on the results of a study conducted in 2003, scientists found that sea cucumber can be used to produce an extract that, when added to toothpaste, helps eliminate periodontitis - bleeding gums. The experiment involved 28 people with initial stage gingivitis, who brushed their teeth daily with a paste containing sea cucumber extract.

After three months, the results showed that markers of oral health had noticeably improved: bleeding and gum inflammation decreased, and the unpleasant odor disappeared. However, more research is required to confirm this theory.

Oncological diseases

The established sterility of sea cucumber cells gave rise to the hypothesis that this product can be effectively used for the prevention and treatment of malignant cancer.

In 2010, a scientific article was published in the journal Pancreas indicating that substances with anti-cancer properties were found in sea cucumber. The study found that key connection As part of sea cucumber, the triterpenoid demonstrates pronounced cytotoxicity against carcinoma of the lungs, pancreas, mammary gland, colon, leukemia, and prostate.

Many cancer patients who simultaneously use sea cucumber tincture with honey along with chemotherapy have noted a reduction in malignant tumors by 68%.

From this video you will learn about other properties of sea cucumber.

Cautions

Despite the fact that sea cucumber is a source of vitamins and beneficial macro- and microelements for the human body, it is necessary to remember possible contraindications to its use. If you are allergic to seafood, you should avoid using sea cucumbers. This is especially true for pregnant women, whose bodies are most sensitive during this period.

Doctors warn that eating sea cucumber while taking anticoagulants increases the risk of developing side effects. Patients with an overactive thyroid gland should avoid this iodine-rich product.

Don’t forget how the sea cucumber feeds: waste from other fish, plankton. The mollusk lives on the seabed and filters sand along with various aquatic organisms, which can be poisonous, and all these substances settle in its flesh. It must be remembered that pharmacy nutritional supplements have not been tested for safety, which means it cannot be said that their use will not cause harm.

In Asian cuisine, sea cucumber is also eaten raw, served with grated radish and soy sauce. In Russia, shellfish are boiled, canned or dried for culinary purposes. In the Far East, skoblyanka, which is prepared from potatoes, onions, and sea cucumbers, is popular. On supermarket shelves you can also find canned food “Skoblyanka made from cucumaria and fish”.

To improve health, raw sea cucumber is crushed and dried. The resulting mixture is mixed with honey in proportions of 1:5 and left for 7 days. Based on ground sea cucumber, vodka tincture, healing tea and even wine are made.

Since cucumaria scraper is the most popular dish, let's find out how to prepare it.

You will need the following ingredients: sea cucumber, onion, spices, carrots, bell pepper, tomato paste. In Vladivostok, the collected sea cucumber is boiled immediately on the shore in sea ​​water and are already ready at home. But you can also buy it fresh.

Irina Kamshilina

Cooking for someone is much more pleasant than cooking for yourself))

Content

Marine fauna is rich in various living organisms, many of which are used as food. One of them is the sea cucumber (holothurian), a class of which includes more than 1000 species. They vary in appearance (size, color, body length, etc.), and some are even used for cooking. Shellfish have a number of beneficial medicinal properties, and they even make medicines from sea cucumber extracts.

What is a sea cucumber

Such a representative of the fauna as the sea cucumber is a class of invertebrate animals, such as echinoderms. They are also called sea capsules and sea cucumbers. The sea cucumber looks like a large oblong worm or caterpillar. Depending on the species, the body of these mollusks can be smooth or rough (with short and long growths). The color of sea cucumbers is red, green, gray, brown and black. Their size varies from 0.5 cm to 5 m. Holothuria can be found both in deep depressions and in the coastal part of the ocean, and more often near coral reefs.

Lifestyle

The marine animal feeds on plankton or organic debris, which it extracts from the bottom sand and passes through the digestive system. Some species of sea cucumbers have tentacles used to filter the food they detect. Mollusks lead a sedentary lifestyle, spending most of their time on one side, with their mouth opening raised. Animals crawl very slowly, sometimes contracting, sometimes stretching.

Types of sea cucumbers

Today, the class of holothurians includes about 1,150 species of animals, differing in size, weight, color, body structure, and habitat. Sea urchins and stars are the closest relatives of holothurians. There are more than 100 species of such mollusks in Russia, but the most popular sea cucumbers are Far Eastern sea cucumber and cucumber, which are used in the preparation of tasty and healthy treats.

Useful properties of sea cucumbers

Representatives of sea cucumbers have many beneficial properties thanks to dietary sterile meat, devoid of viruses and various diseases, but rich in iodine, calcium, phosphorus, amino acids, iron, copper, nickel, chlorine, vitamins B, C. The calorie content of the shellfish is only 35 kcal per 100 g. Scientists note the following points of the therapeutic effect of sea cucumbers on the human body:

• decrease in blood pressure;
• stimulation of the heart muscle;
• acceleration of tissue renewal;
• normalization of metabolic processes;
• relief from bradycardia, tachycardia;
• treatment of arthritis, relief of joint pain;
• strengthening the immune system;
• improving the functioning of the nervous and cardiovascular systems.

Using sea cucumber as food

It’s not difficult to prepare sea cucumber, the main thing is to carry out a number of activities to preliminary preparation shellfish First, it is washed thoroughly until the black powder completely disappears. Next, the carcass is soaked in water, which is changed several times, and then boiled for at least 3 hours. The Japanese prefer to eat the delicious sea cucumber meat raw, since this way it retains more nutrients.

Many different delicious snacks are prepared from sea cucumber; it is fried, boiled, dried, and canned shellfish are made. Shellfish meat is used as the main component of some soups and cutlets. Experienced chefs argue that sea cucumbers must be cooked with other products that have a bright pronounced aroma, absorbing unpleasant foreign odors. Egg pod meat should not be eaten by pregnant or lactating women, children, allergy sufferers, or people with hyperthyroidism.

Sea Cucumber Recipes

Sea pod as a food product is often used in Asian cuisine. Used to prepare seafood different ways heat treatment. You can buy shellfish at large grocery stores and turn them into a dish rich in useful vitamins and microelements. If you don't know how to cook sea cucumber, use detailed master classes with photos that will teach you how to properly peel, prepare, and cook a sea cucumber.

Sea cucumber scraper

• Time: 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Number of servings: 8 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 154 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: for breakfast, lunch, dinner.
• Difficulty: easy.

One of the dishes of Old Russian cuisine that has been forgotten is skoblyanka. It was prepared from potatoes, mushrooms and vegetables, but in the Far East the mushrooms were replaced with sea cucumber meat. This shellfish contains much more vitamins and microminerals than fish, so the beneficial properties of the scraper are very great. If you purchased fresh sea cucumber, you must first gut it, wash it, then boil it twice for half an hour in water. Then change the water again and cook the shellfish for about 2 hours.

Ingredients:

• sea ​​cucumber – 6 pcs.;
• pork – 0.5 kg;
• onions – 3 pcs.;
• carrots, tomatoes - 1 pc.;
• vegetable oil – 50 ml;
• tomato paste – 1 tbsp. l.;
• garlic – 2 cloves;
• greens – 0.5 bunch;
• salt, pepper - to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Cut the seafood into strips, fry in a cauldron for about 15 minutes, then add pork, chopped in the same way.
2. While the seafood and meat are fried, chop the onion into half rings and the carrots into thin strips. Add to meat and seafood. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Chop the tomato into small cubes, add to the cauldron, add salt and pepper, and stir.
4. Pour in ½ tbsp. water, simmer over low heat under the lid for 15 minutes.
5. Squeeze the garlic, chop and add the herbs, stir, remove from heat.

Sea cucumber with honey

• Time: 16 days.
• Number of servings: 200 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 496 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: medicine.
• Difficulty: easy.

Trepang with honey is used as a remedy alternative medicine, used for the treatment and prevention of various diseases. The tincture recipe originated in China, and is famous for the following properties: eliminating inflammation, stimulating tissue regeneration, slowing down development cancerous tumors, improving the functioning of the endocrine system, restoring vision, removing waste, toxins, removing cholesterol plaques, etc. Take the finished extract, 1 tsp. half an hour before meals twice a day for a month.

Ingredients:

• dried sea cucumber – 100 g;
• alcohol (40%) – 1 l;
• honey – 1 kg.

Cooking method:

1. Fill the dried seafood with water so that the liquid completely covers the product, leave for a day, and then grind it (you can put it through a meat grinder).
2. Mix crushed sea cucumbers with alcohol and leave to infuse for 15 days in a dark, dry, cool place, shaking occasionally.
3. Combine the prepared tincture with honey and stir thoroughly.