What fishy organ did I eat?
January 4, 2009 4:02 PM Subscribe
What fishy organ did I eat?
When I was in South Korea, I was taken out for a meal of agujjim, a spicy fish stew made with angler fish or monkfish. The dish includes the fish's internal organs, not just the flesh.
My host offered me a special part of the fish. It was bumpy, about the size of an almond and ovoid. I don't know what colour it was, being covered in spicy red sauce. I was told to let it cool down because the thing had liquid inside and would be very hot if I bit into it right away. When I ate it, it was very firm, like hard cartilage and the taste was bitter. It was indeed full of a watery liquid. I can't say I really enjoyed it.
Ever since I ate that weird thing I've been curious as to what it was. Any ideas?
When I was in South Korea, I was taken out for a meal of agujjim, a spicy fish stew made with angler fish or monkfish. The dish includes the fish's internal organs, not just the flesh.
My host offered me a special part of the fish. It was bumpy, about the size of an almond and ovoid. I don't know what colour it was, being covered in spicy red sauce. I was told to let it cool down because the thing had liquid inside and would be very hot if I bit into it right away. When I ate it, it was very firm, like hard cartilage and the taste was bitter. It was indeed full of a watery liquid. I can't say I really enjoyed it.
Ever since I ate that weird thing I've been curious as to what it was. Any ideas?
Best answer: Could it have been a sea squirt (aka tunicate)?
I've never had agujjim, but this blog posting about it seems to describe a similar object to what you ate.
"I don’t know if any of you have tried Agujjim or any of the other foods that feature sea squirt (I found some in a shabu shabu one time), but it’s a funny little sea critter that explodes with liquid once you bite into it, kind of the way a grape explodes, except times about seven, both in the amount of force required to break it, and in the amount of liquid that comes out."
posted by elkerette at 5:14 PM on January 4, 2009
I've never had agujjim, but this blog posting about it seems to describe a similar object to what you ate.
"I don’t know if any of you have tried Agujjim or any of the other foods that feature sea squirt (I found some in a shabu shabu one time), but it’s a funny little sea critter that explodes with liquid once you bite into it, kind of the way a grape explodes, except times about seven, both in the amount of force required to break it, and in the amount of liquid that comes out."
posted by elkerette at 5:14 PM on January 4, 2009
Response by poster: Googling for sea squirts led me to this link, which seems to confirm that I did indeed eat a sea squirt. Thanks, elkerette!
posted by Rora at 5:27 PM on January 4, 2009
posted by Rora at 5:27 PM on January 4, 2009
I've eaten virtually every fish the Japanese have thrown at me, including sea cucumber, rotten funazushi and squid guts, but there is no way I could ever eat sea squirt.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:45 PM on January 4, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by KokuRyu at 10:45 PM on January 4, 2009 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 4:36 PM on January 4, 2009