Can You Eat Starfish?


Has someone ever offered you starfish? Probably not; I mean, who would think of these adorable star-shaped creatures as edible snacks? However, while starfish isn’t a popular seafood snack offered just anywhere, there are some areas where starfish is regarded as a popular and tasty treat.

Starfish is an edible sea creature. It has a brownish-green meaty substance found in its legs that is edible when cooked. Starfish meat has a chunky, creamy, and moist texture compared to toothpaste or ground beef, and the meat has a unique, subtle flavor with a slightly bitter taste.

Starfish is a common sea creature found in any ocean, but many of us haven’t considered starfish to be food- well, it can be! Keep reading if you’re interested in what starfish tastes like.

Can You Eat Starfish

Believe it or not, but you can eat starfish. It’s not as weird or uncommon as you might think. You’ll find many food markets or street vendors in the coastal cities of China that serve starfish on a stick.

Starfish is not a common food enjoyed worldwide; most people do not eat starfish; they say the taste is quite unappealing and bitter.

In addition, there are several places where starfish is illegal to harvest; however, in other areas, it is legal. So technically speaking, you are only allowed to try this strange snack in places where harvesting starfish is legal. China is known as the most popular place to find prepared starfish if you’re keen on trying it.

Are Starfish Poisonous?

Several starfish species can be poisonous to humans. It’s important that you rather trust an expert who knows which species are toxic or safe to eat. Starfish is not a type of sea creature that you should even consider randomly picking up to prepare by yourself.

What Part of a Starfish is Edible?

Firstly, you should never eat starfish raw! Starfish is best boiled or deep-fried. Secondly, you should never try to eat the whole starfish either; their exteriors are rugged and extremely sharp.

These little guys quickly dry out once out of the water, leaving their tops sharp and rigid. In addition, the bottom part of the starfish is covered in unappetizing protrusions, better known as “tube feet.”

All the good stuff is tucked away in the inside of the little fella’s legs. But, once cooked and broken open, you’ll find a strange, brownish-olive green, meaty substance nestled inside the hard exterior of its legs. This is the meat of the starfish that is considered edible.

However, even though the exterior shell is not really regarded as edible, in some cases, the outer shells are deep-fried and taste similar to most deep-fried foods- crispy and oily!

What does Starfish Taste Like?

The flavor of starfish is definitely unique! The closest way to approximate the taste is to compare it to how a beach smells at low tide (I know it sounds weird, please bear with me).

The actual meat of the starfish does not really taste like much; it tends to have a subtle flavor with a slightly bitter taste that is not particularly palatable. 

The flavor of starfish is faint and can’t easily be compared to many other foods. However, some people say that starfish tastes similar to a Sea Urchin but slightly more bitter and creamier.

While others have said that you can taste some of the saltiness of ocean water in the starfish meat, another comparison made by several people is that starfish have a similar taste to the brains of river crabs.

Despite other people’s opinions, the meat is relatively tasteless, so you might want to grab a favorite seasoning or sauce to dip in.

Starfish requires an acquired taste, to say the least; you may need to try it more than once to really get a feel for it before deciding if you like it not.

What texture does Starfish Meat have?

The texture of the starfish meat is chunky and creamy and can be compared to a texture variating between toothpaste and ground beef.

Starfish meat can also have an unusually mushy and moist texture that can be off-putting for many people. However, if you are someone generally unbothered by textures, you might find that you like starfish!

I’m probably not making starfish sound very appetizing, but that’s just the way it is. Starfish most definitely won’t be a favorite for everybody, but for the seafood lovers out there willing to try new things, I’s say it’s worth a try at least.

How to Prepare Starfish?

I’m going to mention this again- it is utterly crucial that you don’t take a gamble and pick up random starfish from the beach to prepare on your own; some species are deadly!

If you are up for the challenge and would like to prepare starfish, ensure that you purchase the starfish from a trusted source.

The two most common ways to prepare starfish are to deep fry them or boil them in salted water, the latter being the most popular method.

Starfish is boiled for approximately five to eight minutes and then places into a bowl of cold water for a couple of seconds  (approximately fifteen seconds or so).

Once it has cooled, place the starfish belly up to open the legs (where to good stuff is!).

Watch this short video on How to Eat Starfish for a better idea: https://youtu.be/uIAeHOxmikQ

Starfish is also used in traditional Chinese soup.

It is typically desirable to cook starfish that hasn’t been dead for more than 24 hours.

How to Eat Starfish?

The eating process of starfish is pretty similar to eating crab or lobster. You’ll need a mallet or a strong pair of pliers to crack open the starfish’s legs to get to the meaty areas.

There is only a tiny amount of meat found in the legs of a starfish; you can either scoop it out or shift your best manners aside and suck the meat out of the legs.

However, when you buy starfish from street vendors on the coastlines of China, it will mostly be given to you on a stick without any utensils.

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Conclusion

To conclude, starfish is not generally considered a delicacy that many people enjoy; however, it is edible, and those with an acquired taste might just enjoy this queer snack.

For the most part, starfish do not have a prominent taste and are considered to be particularly unpalatable with a slightly bitter taste. A lot of people recommend a favorite dipping sauce to improve its flavor. If you are open to new trying new things and someone who isn’t finicky with flavors and textures, I recommend you give it a try!

Aaron Warner

Aaron Warner is an avid angler with over 15 years of experience. He has participated and won fishing tournaments all over the country and enjoys fishing for bass, trout, walleye and other species.

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