How to Cook Jellyfish

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: December 3, 2022

If you've stumbled across a package of jellyfish at your local Asian grocer, cook it with flavorful ingredients. Since most jellyfish comes packaged in salt, you'll need to rinse and soak it for at least an hour before cooking with it. Toss the soaked jellyfish with sautéed garlic, green onions, and spices for a popular jellyfish salad. For a more filling meal, create jellyfish burgers. Make a seasoned mashed potato mixture and form it into burger patties. Stuff the centers with spicy jellyfish and fry the burgers until they're golden brown.

Ingredients

Jellyfish Salad

1 10-ounce (283 g) package jellyfish packed in salt
2 green onions
2 tablespoons (17 g) garlic
1/4 cup (60 ml) grapeseed oil
1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) soy sauce
1 tablespoon (15 ml) chili oil
1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon (3 g) ground sichuan pepper
Drizzle of sesame oil (optional)
Chopped cilantro to garnish

Makes 4 servings

Jellyfish Burgers

1/4 pound (113 g) jellyfish packed in salt
1.1 pounds (500 g) potatoes
5 tablespoons (70 g) butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon (15 ml) toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons (9 g) fresh spring onions, finely sliced
1 teaspoon (2 g) fresh ginger
2 large handfuls fresh cilantro leaves and stalks
2 teaspoons (10 ml) sweet chili dipping sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) vegetable oil for frying

Makes 4 jellyfish burgers

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Making Jellyfish Salad

1
Rinse the jellyfish and soak it for 1 hour in cold water. Open a 10-ounce (283 g) package of jellyfish packed in salt and rinse it under cold running water. Place the jellyfish in a large bowl and fill it with cold water so the jellyfish is completely submerged. Soak the jellyfish for 1 hour.^{[1]
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- The jellyfish should feel flexible once it's soaked long enough.
- Soaking the jellyfish will remove the salt that it was preserved with.
2
Slice the green onions and mince the garlic. Rinse 2 green onions and trim off the ends. Use a sharp knife to slice the onions as thin as you can (about 1/4 inch or 1 centimeter thick). Mince enough fresh garlic to get 2 tablespoons (17 g).^{[2]
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- Since 1 clove of garlic usually yields 1/2 teaspoon (1.4 g) of minced garlic, you'll need about 12 cloves.
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3
Sauté the green onions and garlic for 30 seconds. Pour 1/4 cup (60 ml) of grapeseed oil into a skillet or wok and turn the heat to medium. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, stir in the minced garlic and sliced green onions. Stir and cook them until they're slightly browned and fragrant. Turn off the burner.^{[3]
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- If you don't have grapeseed oil, you could use coconut or olive oil.
- Avoid leaving the garlic and green onions unattended because they can burn easily.
4
Drain and add the jellyfish to the skillet. Place a colander into the sink and pour the soaked jellyfish into it. Add the drained jellyfish to the skillet and stir it so it's combined with the green onions and garlic.^{[4]
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- The jellyfish in the package will probably already be sliced into strips. If it isn't, cut it into long thin strips about 0.8 inches (2 centimeters) wide.
5
Stir in the seasonings. Measure 1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of chili oil, 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) of salt, and 1 teaspoon (3 g) of ground sichuan pepper into the skillet. Stir until the jellyfish is completely coated in the seasonings.^{[5]
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6
Warm the jellyfish for 2 minutes. Stir and cook the jellyfish salad over medium heat just until the jellyfish warms up a little. Avoid frying or cooking the jellyfish too long. Overcooking the jellyfish can make it rubbery or tough.^{[6]
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7
Taste, garnish, and serve the jellyfish salad. Taste the salad to see if you need to add extra salt. Transfer the jellyfish salad to a serving bowl and drizzle it with a little sesame oil. Sprinkle a little chopped cilantro over the top and serve the salad while it's slightly warm. If you prefer, you can refrigerate it until it's cold and then serve it.^{[7]
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- The sesame oil will give the salad a slightly smoky, nutty taste.
- Store the leftover jellyfish salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. If you'd like to rewarm the salad, microwave it in a microwave-safe container in 30-second increments until it's as hot as you like.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Preparing Jellyfish Burgers

1
Rinse the jellyfish in cold water and soak it for 1 hour. Get out 1/4 pound (113 g) of jellyfish packed in salt and rinse it under cold running water. Transfer the jellyfish to a large bowl filled with cold water. Ensure that the jellyfish is covered with water and soak it for 1 hour.
- Once the jellyfish has soaked enough, it will feel flexible. Soaking the jellyfish will also remove excess salt.
2
Dry and slice the jellyfish into thin strips. Place a colander in the sink and drain the jellyfish into it. Lay paper or kitchen towels on a work surface and place the jellyfish on it. Press the jellyfish with the towel to dry it as much as possible. Move the jellyfish to a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut it into long, thin strands about 0.8 inches (2 centimeters) wide. Set the jellyfish aside.
3
Peel and cut the potatoes into 1.5-inch (3.8-cm) chunks. Rinse and peel 1.1 pounds (500 g) of potatoes. Place them on a cutting board and cut each potato into even sized chunks. They should be about 1.5-inch (3.8-cm) in size.
- Use Russet or your favorite variety of potatoes.
4
Boil the chunks of potato for 12 to 15 minutes. Place the potato chunks into a large pot and pour enough water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch (2.5 cm). Turn the burner on to high and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium so it's at a gentle boil and cook the potatoes until they're tender.
- Use a pot that's at least 2-quarts (1.9 liters) in size.
- To test if the potatoes are tender, insert a fork or knife into a potato chunk. You should be able to easily slide it in and out if it's finished cooking.
5
Drain and mash the potatoes. Turn off the burner and drain the potatoes into the colander in the sink. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and use a potato masher to mash the potatoes until they're smooth. Stir in 5 tablespoons (70 g) of butter, salt, and pepper according to your taste. Set the mashed potatoes aside.
- If you prefer, you can use a potato ricer or electric mixer instead of a potato masher.
6
Mix together a sweet chili dipping sauce. Measure all of the sweet chili sauce ingredients into a bowl and stir them until they're combined. You'll need:
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) toasted sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons (9 g) finely sliced fresh spring onions
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) grated fresh ginger
- 2 large handfuls finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) purchased sweet chili dipping sauce
7
Combine the mashed potatoes with half of the sweet dipping sauce. Scoop all of the mashed potatoes into a big mixing bowl and add half of the dipping sauce. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to stir the mixture until it's combined. Set it aside.
8
Mix together the rest of the dipping sauce with the jellyfish. Pour the rest of the sweet chili dipping sauce into another mixing bowl and stir in the jellyfish slices until they're coated.
9
Divide the mashed potato mixture into disks. Divide the mashed potato mixture into 8 evenly sized portions. Flatten each portion into a flat disk that's about 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter and 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) thick. Set them on your work surface.
10
Top the disks with the jellyfish mixture and form them into burgers. Divide the jellyfish mixture into 4 evenly sized portions and place them in the centers of 4 of the mashed potato disks. Top those disks with the remaining mashed potato disks so the jellyfish mixture is sandwiched in the middle. Gently press around the edges of each burger to seal in the jellyfish mixture. The burgers should be about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick.
- Ensure that the jellyfish mixture isn't spread across the entire disk of mashed potato mixture or the jellyfish filling may seep out. Leave about 0.8 inches (2 centimeters) of space around the edges.
11
Fry the jellyfish burgers for 2 minutes over medium heat. Pour 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of vegetable oil into a non-stick skillet and turn the heat to medium. Once the oil is shimmering and hot, lower the 4 jellyfish burgers into the skillet. Fry them for 2 minutes without moving them.
- The bottom of the burgers should become golden brown.
12
Flip and fry the jellyfish burgers for 2 more minutes. Use a spatula to flip the jellyfish burgers over. If the burgers are sticking, pour another 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of vegetable oil into the skillet. Fry the burgers until they're browned on the other side. This should take 2 minutes.
- The jellyfish and mashed potato are already cooked, so you just need to brown the outsides of the burger.
13
Serve the jellyfish burgers immediately. Turn the heat off the burner and place the jellyfish burgers between buns. Serve the hot burgers with extra sweet chili dipping sauce and jellyfish salad or fries.
- Store the leftover jellyfish burgers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. To reheat the burgers, place them in a skillet over medium-low heat until they're warmed throughout.