Due to factors such as global warming and over-fishing of its predators, the humble jellyfish has experienced a population explosion in recent years. In fact, there are so many of the creatures in some places that jellyfish-killing aquatic robots have been designed to keep their numbers under control. It seems like a waste to just dump them, though. With that in mind, a scientist from the University of Southern Denmark has developed a method of turning them into a potato chip-like food.
Dried jellyfish have actually been eaten for centuries in Asian cultures. The drying process (which involves using salt and alum to extract water from them) takes 30 to 40 days, however. Additionally, the finished product has a somewhat gristly texture that's off-putting to many Westerners.
Mie Thorborg Pedersen has instead simply steeped them in alcohol, which replaces their water content within just a couple of days. It then evaporates completely once they're left out to dry, leaving nothing but a thin, crispy disc. Although the finished product reportedly doesn't have much flavor, Thorborg Pedersen states that, "The mouth feel and the aesthetic appearance in particular have gastronomic potential."
Who knows, perhaps the crisps could be mixed with a new strain of dulce seaweed, which is said to taste like bacon when fried.
A paper on the research was recently published in The International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science.
Source: University of Southern Denmark
