The quality of sea cucumber can be divided into high quality and low quality. Jiapin is thick and long, with thick meat and no sand in the body; Defective products are the opposite.

There are six kinds of sea cucumbers on the market:

(1) Stichopus japonicus (Stichopus japonicus, Stichopus japonicus) is a kind of high quality, and its output is more in Liaoning, Hebei and Shandong coastal areas. It is produced in spring, summer and autumn. Generally 20 cm long, cylindrical. The back is slightly raised, with 4 ~ 6 rows of irregular conical thorns. The ventral surface is flat, with dense tubes and feet, which are arranged in three irregular longitudinal bands. There are 20 tentacles around the mouth. The back is brown or chestnut black, and the abdomen is brown or reddish brown; Some body surfaces are green, purple-brown or gray-white.

The dried product is round stick-shaped, with blunt ends, flat abdomen, open back and 4-6 rows of longitudinal thorns, which are light black or light gray. Every 500g contains less than 35 animals, which is Grade I, 36 ~ 55 animals are Grade II and 56 ~ 76 animals are Grade III. Ginseng is fat, full and smooth, with thick muscles, straight thorns, no residue on the body surface, and the edge is turned out tightly and thick. Ginseng body is thin, with a big pit, crooked and not straight, and its flesh spines are lodging, sharp and not straight, with a small round vertebra, and there are festering remnants on the body surface. Generally, 3500 ~ 4000 grams of dry ginseng can be produced after every 500 grams of dry ginseng is added into water.

(2) Stichopus japonicus (Stichopus japonicus, Stichopus japonicus, Stichopus japonicus, Stichopus japonicus): In China, it is mainly produced in Xisha Islands, Hainan Island and the shallow sea along Leizhou Peninsula, and the production season is mostly in spring and autumn. Generally, it is 30 ~ 40 cm long and slightly rectangular. There are many conical thorns scattered on the back. Abdominal tube feet are arranged in three longitudinal bands, and the middle band is wider. There are 20 tentacles around the mouth. The body color is mostly dark yellow, with olive spots in different shades, yellow-gray with light brown mesh or dark green stripes. Some ends of the meat thorn are red.

The dried product is almost cylindrical and a little flat. The two sides are relatively flat, the thick skin is thick and hard, and the cortex is rough and has small particles. Some colors are blue and yellow, and some have white circles. Generally, it is graded according to the weight of a single animal. The first-class unit weight 125g or more, the second-class unit weight is 50g or more, and the third-class unit weight is 30g or more. The top grade is the one with complete body shape, straight ginseng strips, uniform and fat meat thickness, no broken inner cavity and no flat pressure. Those with relatively complete body, uniform body thickness but not straight, collapsed body with pits, knife edges and decayed inner cavity are defective products. Stichopus japonicus is a large-scale economic sea cucumber, and 2000 grams of ginseng can be produced by aquatic products for every 500 grams of dry ginseng.

(3) Apostichopus japonicus (Apostichopus japonicus) is mainly produced in Xisha Islands, southern Hainan Island, Beihai Island and Dongzhou Island in Guangxi, and its production period is spring, late autumn and early winter. Generally 30 cm long, square column. There are two rows of conical spines alternately arranged along the corners of the body. There are many abdominal tubes, which are arranged in three longitudinal bands, and the central band is wider. The mouth is very big, slightly inclined to the ventral surface, surrounded by 20 tentacles. The body is thick green or dark green, the barb tip is orange-yellow or orange-red, the base of tentacles is gray-white, the end is gray-black, and the tube foot is gray-black.

The dried product is square column, slender, grayish yellow, with 4 rows of thorns on the body surface and a small disk on the abdomen. Generally, there are three specifications: large, medium and small, which are within 30, 40 and 70 per 500 grams respectively. Ginseng is even in thickness, fat and straight, with few broken skins and no defects. The top grade is the one with a bulging belly and no sandbags between the bellies. Ginseng body collapses, its strips are bent and twisted, its thickness is uneven, there are pits and remnants, its abdomen bulges, and there are many sandbags, which are inferior products. Stichopus japonicus is one of the important economic ginseng varieties in China, and it is a high-quality sea cucumber second only to Stichopus japonicus. Its meat quality is full and the dry product yield is high. Every 500 grams of dry ginseng can produce 3250 ~ 3500 grams of ginseng with water.

(4) Arnebia euchroma (white stone ginseng, cucumber ginseng): It is mainly distributed in Xisha Islands and Hainan Island in China, and the production period is mostly in spring, late autumn and early winter. Generally 25 ~ 30 cm long, slightly oval. The mouth is inclined to the ventral surface and has 20 tentacles. The anus leans backwards, surrounded by five calcareous teeth. The back is smooth and the tube foot is sparse. The ventral surface is flat, the tube feet are arranged in 3 longitudinal bands, and the middle band is thinner and wider. The body color changes greatly, generally the back is yellow-brown or purple-brown, and there are many gray-white irregular transverse spots, gray-white around the anus, and the ventral color is lighter.

The dried product is oblate. Open your back. The back is light black, and the lower edges of both sides and abdomen are white with yellow. There are no barbs, there are verrucous protrusions on the back, and there is a powdery calcium layer on the abdomen. One is divided into three specifications according to the weight of a single animal. Every 500g 15 for the big ones, of which 25 are middle ones and 50 are small ones. The top grade is the kind with complete body strips, thick meat, thin lime layer on the abdomen, no broken belly and no rotten holes. Every 500 grams of dried ginseng can produce 2000 grams of ginseng.

(5) Black ginseng (black dog ginseng, gram ginseng, black dog ginseng): Xisha Islands and southern Hainan Island in China produce a lot. The production seasons are spring, autumn and winter. Generally 20 ~ 30 cm long, cylindrical, thin at both ends. The mouth is inclined to the ventral surface and there are 20 tentacles around it. The wart on the back is small, tubular and irregular. Abdominal tube foot is small and dense, and its arrangement is irregular. The body is dark brown or dark brown, and the end of the tube foot is white.

After drying, the product is slightly flat and cylindrical, and the two ends gradually taper. The outer skin is thick and hard, the skin surface is smooth, black or dark brown, and there are irregular large warts and sandy small tubular feet in the abdomen. Generally divided into two grades, each 500 grams contains less than 35 as the first grade, and contains less than 70 as the second grade. The top grade is ginseng with thick body and slightly thicker meat, with little difference in thickness between the front and back. Thin strips, thin meat, large thickness difference, twisted or broken are defective products. The quality of black ginseng is poor, but it still has certain economic value because of its high yield and low price. Every 500 grams of dried ginseng can produce 2000 grams of ginseng.

(6) Stichopus japonicus with white background (Stichopus japonicus with red melon, Stichopus japonicus with white background, Stichopus japonicus with white background): In China, it is mainly distributed in Xisha Islands, southern Hainan Island and the coastal area of Beihai, Guangxi. The production seasons are mostly spring, autumn and winter. Generally, the body length is 35 cm, and the back of the body is often thick. The mouth is large and inclined to the ventral surface, with 25 ~ 27 tentacles. The back is convex and scattered with many small warts. There is a white ring around the base of each wart, which is more obvious at the back of the body. The ventral surface is flat and the tube feet are dense. The body color changes greatly, generally the back is brown and the abdomen is lighter.

The dried product is short, thick and wide, which is close to a cylinder. The back is dark brown with fine particles; The ventral surface is white, as flat as the soles of the feet. Generally, according to the weight of a single animal, it is divided into two specifications, the large one is125g, and the small one is more than 50g. The top grade is ginseng with thick meat, strong body, neat blade and clean belly without residue. Flat figure, the back is curled inward, with traces on the abdomen or back. Ginseng is a large-scale economic sea cucumber with excellent quality. Every 500 grams of dry ginseng can produce 2250 grams of ginseng.

What is the age of sea cucumber?

The era of sea cucumber is the era of sea cucumber. Generally, the age of sea cucumber is 3-5 years. The longest age of sea cucumbers is 8- 10 years, and those older than 10 years will generally melt into the sea automatically.

How many fresh sea cucumbers are processed into a catty of dried ginseng?

Generally speaking, about 25 kg of live sea cucumber can be processed into 1 kg of white first-class salt ginseng, so the sea cucumber with a price below 1000 yuan is generally inferior ginseng mixed with salt or other impurities for many times.

Which has higher nutritional value, wild sea cucumber or cultured sea cucumber?

The nutrition of wild sea cucumber is far superior to that of cultured sea cucumber. There are two ways to cultivate sea cucumbers, one is to cultivate sea cucumbers in shrimp ponds or around the sea, and the other is to raise seedlings artificially and let them grow back into the sea, that is, to sow sea cucumbers on the seabed. Judging from the growth process of sea cucumber, it can be regarded as wild sea cucumber.

At present, pure wild sea cucumbers and bottom-sown sea cucumbers are mixed together and cannot be distinguished. From the nutritional value, the seawater level around the dam or shrimp pond is very shallow and sunny. Sea cucumber grows rapidly and its nutrient accumulation is low, just like the value of cultured turtle is far lower than that of wild turtle. What is more alarming is that some sea cucumber farmers add antibiotics to the ponds where sea cucumbers are cultivated in order to prevent and control pests and diseases. In order to promote the rapid growth of sea cucumber, growth hormone is added to feed, which leads to the drug residue of adult sea cucumber and is potentially harmful to human body.

In addition, in recent years, the problem of excessive heavy metals in aquatic products has become the focus of food safety. Although domestic public opinion has not affected the sea cucumber, the sea cucumber culture area is adjacent to the pollution source and the seawater circulation is slow. Coupled with the slow action of sea cucumbers, they live in even a slightly polluted environment all year round, and the consequences can be imagined. The indexes of heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, mercury, chromium and zinc of this sea cucumber are far higher than its nutritional indexes. However, the coastal natural sea areas such as Weihai and Rongcheng in Shandong Province are less polluted, and the quality of sea cucumbers grown is the best. Its characteristics are: thick meat, rich nutrition and good taste, which is recognized as the best tonic by the society.

Is it better to buy a big sea cucumber or a small sea cucumber?

The longer the growth period of sea cucumber, the bigger its size, the richer its nutrition and the higher its value.

Is Stichopus japonicus more prickly or less prickly?

Generally speaking, the quality of Stichopus japonicus has little relationship with the density of Stichopus japonicus. The number of Stichopus japonicus is related to the growth environment and is a sign to distinguish the origin. Stichopus japonicus from the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea has few thorns, but the meat is plump, the taste is good and the nutrients are very rich. Stichopus japonicus is generally produced in the Sea of Japan. Although they are close to each other according to latitude and longitude (referring to Weihai sea area), the nutritional components are still quite different, which can be seen from dry sea cucumber with the same length.

Why are some sea cucumbers so expensive and some so cheap? What kind of sea cucumber is good?

The apparent reason why sea cucumber is so expensive is that market demand has pushed up the price, and the fundamental reason is that people don't understand sea cucumber.

Although the scale of sea cucumber breeding in China is unique in the world, the research and scientific popularization of sea cucumber pharmacy and nutrition in China is backward, and there are many misinformation in some books, so that some basic knowledge is misinformed. Although people know and feel that eating sea cucumber brings health benefits, they lack understanding of the role of the sea in dietotherapy, so ordinary people eat sea cucumber because of superstition on the one hand and experience on the other. The price of Japanese sea cucumber per 500g ranges from 2,000 to 4,000 yuan, while that of 30 yuan is only 25-500g. There is not much difference in nutritional value between the two kinds of sea cucumbers, but people have always mistakenly thought that Japanese sea cucumbers are the best and are willing to pay a high price. Some people even think that eggplant is not a sea cucumber, and there are newspaper reports that "illegal traders sell eggplant as a sea cucumber", which shows that some media do not know that eggplant is also a kind of sea cucumber, let alone ordinary people.

Some sea cucumbers have high mucopolysaccharide content, which is good for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases; Some sea cucumbers have high saponin content, which is beneficial to anti-cancer. Sea cucumber, like ginseng, has high medicinal value if its saponin content is high, but it may taste bad and is not suitable for cooking. Some sea cucumbers with high content in protein, such as eggplant and Stichopus japonicus, can be widely used in hotels and family dining tables to provide nutrition for people who are deficient and malnourished in protein.

Method for identifying good and bad sea cucumbers

(1) High quality sea cucumber

1. Identify according to the quantity of different masses.

Extra-large: 30-40, large: 40-55, medium: 55-70, small: 70-85, extra-small: 85 or more (the individual weight is not less than 7.5g, which is less than the above standard, and the nutritional components of sea cucumber are reduced). The reason is that the boiling pot will be turned out of high quality, because the meat is thick and full.

2. According to the head bone plate of Stichopus japonicus (called mouth in folk), it is recognized that the bone plate is not loose.

3. According to the shape and weight of Stichopus japonicus, Stichopus japonicus is full cylindrical, straight and light.

4. The first-class dry sea cucumber refers to live sea cucumbers (brown in color) growing in coastal areas of Bohai Bay such as Qingdao, Long Island, Penglai, Weihai, Rongcheng and Longkou, and processed from them (gray in color and dark brown after expansion); It has the unique fresh and fragrant taste of Stichopus japonicus, but has no peculiar smell. It is dark brown after swelling, full of elasticity and luster, and has the inherent freshness and tenderness of water-based sea cucumber. Although the dryness of Russian sea cucumber is good, it has a fishy smell and its taste is not as good as that of sea cucumber growing along the Bohai Bay. Most Korean Stichopus japonicus flowing into China are semi-dry, with low quality, difficult storage and easy mildew.

5. The longer the growth period of sea cucumber, the bigger its size and the richer its active substances.

6. dry sea cucumber that meets the national standards will not be affected by moisture if it is sealed with plastic bags and placed in a vent, and the shelf life can reach 10 years or more.

(2) Inferior sea cucumber

1. Multiple salt addition. In the process of processing fresh sea cucumber into dry sea cucumber, it needs to be boiled, salted, mixed with ash and dried for five times, and it can still be eaten. But each cooking and pickling can double or triple the weight of sea cucumber. Although the price is half that of high-quality sea cucumber, it is important to destroy the precious acidic mucopolysaccharides and 18 species contained in sea cucumber. It seems that you can buy cheap sea cucumbers. In fact, the weight of this kind of sea cucumber is only half of that of high-quality sea cucumber, and the quantity is also half of that of high-quality sea cucumber. More importantly, most of the active substances of sea cucumber are lost and have no nourishing effect.

2. The relaxation state of the skull plate of Stichopus japonicus

Stichopus japonicus is flat, and its meat is very thin. Stichopus japonicus is not straight, complete and heavy. For example, sea cucumbers that have been salted many times weigh more than twice as much as high-quality sea cucumbers. If 1 kg is lower than the standard number, it can be suspected that illegal traders have mixed cement or sundries in the processing of sea cucumber.

4. Look at the quality of sea cucumber from the price. Dry sea cucumber in Penglai and Bohai Bay in Long Island needs 23-25kg live fresh sea cucumber (200 1 kg live sea cucumber price is RMB: 35-40 yuan in spring and 45-50 yuan in autumn, with an annual increase of 30%). Dry sea cucumber produced in Penglai, Long Island and Rongcheng Bohai Bay are all processed for many times or dried with cement, which is less than 1,000 yuan.

5. The body color of Stichopus japonicus is black-red except in Russia and Japan, and it is gray after operation in Bohai Bay. If it is black, it will be dyed with oak charcoal gray black, which looks good, but it has actually destroyed the nutrition of sea cucumber.

6. Why is the cost of 100 Stichopus japonicus low and the price high? This makes many scientists engaged in the study of Stichopus japonicus feel incredible. According to the survey, consumers think that small numbers are big, eating for a long time and buying more people, so the price is fired.

Breeding methods in dry sea cucumber

There are three main puffing methods in dry sea cucumber: ① Half-oil puffing; 2 pure water hair; ③ Evaporation. No matter which method is adopted, the container and water used in the expansion process should not be stained with oil and salt. Oil can make sea cucumber melt, but salt makes it difficult to penetrate.

Semi-oily hair: firstly, clean the sea cucumber skin with clear water, dry it, put it in a refined oil pan and heat it with slow fire. When the oil temperature rises and you hear a crackling sound, while turning the raw materials with your hand spoon, drag the spoon away from the fire hole. After the sea cucumber becomes soft, take out the clean oil, rinse it with alkaline water to remove the oil, and finally blanch it with boiling water to make it swell, and take out the sausage. Generally, 500 grams of dry goods with 2-2.5 kilograms of parallel imports are rarely used now. Because: ① the discharge is small; (2) It is difficult to master the degree of Cheng Zhonghai ginseng retting oil; (3) Even if the key of oil retting is mastered, it is difficult to clean the oil on the surface of sea cucumber when washing, which often leads to the growth and turning of sea cucumber.

Pure water hair: firstly, wash the sea cucumber with clear water, then soak it in clear water for 8 hours until the sea cucumber becomes soft, then cook it with clear water for 5 minutes and let it stand for 8 hours, then cut open the abdomen with scissors, take out the ligament in the abdominal cavity, wash it, and change the knife according to the needs of cooking. Or cut into two pieces; Or replaced by segments; Or replace the sea cucumber with a rectangular block or a strip block. Change into clean water, stew for 5 minutes, and then leave the fire for 8 hours. Repeat this for three or four times, so that the astringency and other bad smells of sea cucumber are completely eliminated and the sea cucumber is fully expanded. Generally, 500 grams of dry goods can send 2.5-3 kilograms of parallel imports. The sea cucumber puffed by this method has high elasticity, good toughness, soft and waxy taste and the highest nutritional value.

Evaporation: evaporation is also called borax hair. It is a kind of alkaline water method. Wash the sea cucumber first, then add boiling water for 3 hours to make it soft again. After changing the boiled water, add a proper amount of borax (generally 500g seawater borax 100g), seal it with plastic wrap, steam it in a drawer for 3-4 hours, take it out, rinse it with clear water, and soak it in clear water. Generally, 500 grams of dry goods can send 3-4 kilograms of parallel imports. The sea cucumber made of borax is full in shape, elastic and less in nutrient loss.

Note: sea cucumbers are different in size and thickness, so the rising time is different. Small and thin sea cucumbers can swell in a shorter time, while solid and thick sea cucumbers take a longer time. Some are the same size, the same thickness, the same variety, and some are a dime. Sort out those that are sent first, and continue to send those that are not sent.

Sea cucumber is often used as the main course on the table and is widely used in various cuisines. After making it, we should use various cooking methods, such as burning, roasting, stewing, frying, soup, stuffing and so on. The meat is soft, smooth and tender, and the taste is crisp and delicious. Because the sea cucumber itself has no obvious taste, it must be supplemented with clear soup to improve the taste.

Treatment method of sea cucumber before cooking

Sea cucumber is a common raw material of seafood. Because of its rich nutrition, it is listed as one of the "eight treasures of the sea". There are many kinds of sea cucumbers, but generally speaking, they can be divided into two categories, namely, sea cucumbers with thorns and sea cucumbers without thorns. Among the sea cucumbers with thorns, Stichopus japonicus and Mume are better, and among the sea cucumbers without thorns, Dawushen is better. The price and quality of different kinds of sea cucumbers vary greatly. Some low-priced sea cucumbers (mainly all kinds of miscellaneous ginseng) are often of poor quality. Most of the common sea cucumbers in the market are of poor quality.

Sea cucumbers grow in the sea and feed on various microorganisms on the seabed. Therefore, sea cucumber contains all kinds of alkaline substances (you can see white particles in the abdominal cavity by cutting open the sea cucumber). If not carefully cleaned, sea cucumber meat will be bitter and astringent.

In the catering industry, the astringency of sea cucumber is generally neutralized with acetic acid. That is, the swollen sea cucumber is soaked in boiling water with vinegar (preferably white vinegar or vinegar essence) for more than ten minutes. When the sea cucumber shrinks and hardens when exposed to acid, and the alkaline substances in the sea cucumber are neutralized by acid, the sea cucumber is put into clear water for 3-4 hours, and the clear water is changed several times in the middle until the sea cucumber becomes soft and has no sour and astringent taste.

Although the astringency of sea cucumber treated by the above method has been removed, its taste is still not delicious enough if it is directly used for cooking. So "feed" the sea cucumber first. The specific method is: firstly, take out the astringent sea cucumber and put it in a pot, then put it in a wok for a big fire, add melted lard and heat it, add ginger slices and scallions to stir fry, cook wine and add broth. After boiling, pour the soup into a basin filled with sea cucumber and let the sea cucumber soak for 1 ~ 2 hours. After repeated feeding several times, the sea cucumber will become soft and delicious.