Greenfish(Stichopus chloronotus)

Interesting Facts about Sea Cucumbers


-Stichopus chloronotus's most prevelent common name is Greenfish, however it has other common names such as Trepang Verte and Dabalaya.

-Although Stichopus chloronotus does not contain them, most sea cucumbers use cuvierian tubes as another defense mechanism (see picture below). Cuvierian tubes are basically organs that the sea cucumber does not use. When threatened, the sea cucumber will expel these sticky organs from their body as a distraction. To see this process in action, follow this link!

- Along with expelling cuvierian tubes, some species will go as far as completely eviscerating  their internal organs. The sea cucumber is able to regenerate most of these organs afterwards. Although it is not known why, some species do  this on a seasonal basis

-The lifespan of a sea cucumber ranges from 5-10 years.  

-In some deep ocean trenches sea cucumbers can make up more than 80% of the total biomass!
 


Recipes

Sea cucumbers are considered a delicacy in the places like Malaysia and China. Here are some recipes from Malaysia that call for bęche-de-mer. They are adapted from A Hand-book on Indian Sea-Cucumbers by James, D. B. and P. S.B. R. James:  

 Sea-Cucumber and Fish Soup
-1 Sea
-cucumber
-1 oz Yellow fish
-1 Bamboo shoot
-1 Tbsp of Chopped Ham
-6 spring onion sections
-4 sliced ginger
-1 Tbsp Chopped coriander
-1 ˝ Tsp of salt
- 1 Tsp of wine
- 1 egg white
- A little pepper
- 1 Tbsp of corn starch
- 2 ˝ Tsp of salt
- A dash of MSG
- 4 Cups of stock


1.Blanch sea-cucumber in water and add spring onion, ginger, and wine. Remove and rinse in cold water. Cut into small pieces. Boil Bamboo shoot and cut into small pieces. 
 
2.Remove head of yellow fish. Slit open from the back. Remove center bone and fin. Trim fish meat and cut into cubes. Marinate in (1) for ten minutes.
  
3.Fry spring onion section, ginger in 2 Tbsp oil until fragrant. Add stock. Remove spring onion ginger. Add bamboo shoot, sea cucumber and (2). Bring to boil before you add in fish. Thicken with corn-starch mixture before scoop on bowl. Sprinkle with chopped ham and coriander.  

Braised Sea-Cucumber and Shrimp Roe

-  2 lbs Sea-Cucumber
-  3 spring onion
-  4 sliced ginger
-  One Tbsp of Shrimp Roe
- 3 Tbsp of soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp Ginger Water
- A dash of MSG
- A dash of sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp corn-starch  


1.       Slice sea-cucumber diagonally. Add one spring onion, 2 slices ginger, 1 tsp wine  together with half a pot of water. Bring to boil. Blanch sea-cucumber to remove the unpleasant smell. Rinse in cold water. Drain and leave aside.
 
2.       Heat 2 Tbsp oil. Add in spring onion section and ginger. Stir fry for a while. Add sea-cucumber. Fry well. Lastly add soy sauce, sugar, ginger water, MSG, sesame oil, corn starch and shrimp roe. Stir well and remove.  

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