Why 4 Of The World's Priciest Seafoods Are So Expensive | So Expensive Food | Business Insider
Business Insider・2 minutes read
Japanese eels are expensive and raised on farms, with eel farming being labor-intensive and involving a significant feeding expense. Stone crabs have expensive claws due to the labor-intensive catching process, and sea urchins are valuable for their gonads, with harvesting and processing requiring precision and speed to maintain freshness.
Insights
- Japanese eels are a high-value commodity, farmed due to declining wild populations, with feeding being a significant expense in the labor-intensive process.
- Sea urchins, prized for their valuable gonads, face challenges in harvesting due to declining kelp forests, with careful sorting and cleaning processes crucial for maintaining freshness and quality.
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Recent questions
Why are Japanese eels so expensive?
Japanese eels are highly sought after and expensive due to their declining wild populations, leading to the need for eel farming. A kilogram of baby eels can cost around $35,000 in January 2018, reflecting the labor-intensive process of raising and preparing them for sale.
How are eels prepared for sale?
Eels are raised on farms, caught as young eels, and raised until they reach a suitable size for sale. The eels are fed a mixture of fish meal, wheat, and soybean meal two to three times a day, with experienced workers sorting them by size after six to 12 months of growth. The preparation of eels for sale involves a labor-intensive process that requires skill and expertise.
Why are stone crab claws expensive?
Stone crab claws are expensive due to the labor-intensive process of catching them. Fishers can only harvest the claws, while the bodies must be returned to the ocean. Additionally, stone crabs can regenerate claws, leading to strict regulations on harvesting to protect the species. The costs of stone crab fishing, including bait and equipment, contribute to the high prices of stone crab claws.
What makes sea urchins valuable?
Sea urchins are valuable for their gonads, with some selling for high prices in markets like Japan. The challenging process of sea urchin diving, cleaning, and sorting the gonads by color and quality contributes to their value. The demand for fresh sea urchins and the limited availability of premium gonads make them highly sought after and expensive.
Why are gooseneck barnacles challenging to harvest?
Gooseneck barnacles, considered a delicacy, are challenging to harvest due to dangerous conditions and limited time windows. Harvesters like Stevie Dennis face risks and difficulties in collecting these barnacles, which adds to their exclusivity and high demand in culinary markets. The dangerous conditions and limited harvesting opportunities contribute to the high prices of gooseneck barnacles.
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Summary
00:00
Highly Valuable Seafood: Eels, Crabs, Urchins
- Japanese eels are highly sought after and expensive, with a kilogram of baby eels costing around $35,000 in January 2018.
- Eels are raised on farms due to declining wild populations, with young eels caught and raised until they are large enough to be sold.
- Eel farming is labor-intensive, with feeding being a significant expense, requiring a mixture of fish meal, wheat, and soybean meal two to three times a day.
- Eels are sorted by size after six to 12 months of growth, with experienced workers able to determine the size just by feel.
- Eels are prepared as kabayaki, a dish that takes years to master, involving live preparation, bone removal, and precise cooking techniques.
- Stone crab claws are expensive due to the labor-intensive process of catching them, with fishers only able to harvest the claws while the bodies must be returned to the ocean.
- Stone crabs can regenerate claws, but strict regulations ensure claws are of a certain size before harvesting to protect the species.
- Stone crab fishing requires significant costs, including 900 pounds of pigs' feet for bait, with prices ranging from $35 to $70 per pound.
- Sea urchins are valuable for their gonads, with a 200-gram tray costing $100, and some selling for over five times that amount in Japan.
- Sea urchin diving is challenging due to the decline in kelp forests, impacting the quality and quantity of red sea urchins available for harvest.
19:25
"Sea urchin uni: prized delicacy, limited supply"
- Fresh sea urchins need to be delivered to processors by 4 am the same night they are harvested to maintain freshness.
- Workers crack each sea urchin down the middle to carefully clean the fragile gonads, ensuring they stay fresh for about a week.
- Gonads are sorted by color and quality, with the most valuable bright yellow or orange gonads making up the premium A++ grade.
- Sea urchin gonads, known as uni, were not always valued in the US until a sushi boom shifted their market from Japan to the US.
- Uni farming has not been perfected, making premium gonads limited and highly sought after, raising their prices.
- Gooseneck barnacles, harvested by Stevie Dennis, are considered a delicacy and are challenging to harvest due to dangerous conditions and limited time windows.
