This type of seafood looks scary, but costs up to 7 million VND/kg but is still sought after.
Shaped like an earthworm, the sea worm makes many people feel scared at first sight. Despite its strange appearance, the sea worm is an extremely rare seafood, once a product offered to the king. A kilo of dried sea worm costs up to 7 million VND and is still sought after by many people.
In recent years, due to overfishing and habitat degradation, the amount ofsea wormshas been greatly reduced. Therefore, sea worms are sold at quite expensive prices. This is considered a type with quite high prices compared to the general level of seafood.
A kilo of fresh sea worms costs up to 300,000-650,000 VND. Dried sea worms are currently priced at 4-7 million VND/kg, depending on the type.
Despite its high price, sea worms are still sought after by many diners. This is a "famous" animal in the culinary list in regions of Vietnam and China.
In Vietnam, sea worms are known by many different names, depending on the region: such as sea worms, earth ginseng, sandworms, ground ginseng, sea worms, earthworms,...
Sandworms are found in many coastal areas of Vietnam such as Cam Ranh (Khanh Hoa), Can Gio (HCMC). But the most are still in the Van Don and Mong Cai (Quang Ninh) areas. This is also the region with the most delicious sandworm specialties in the country.
This type of seafood is a mollusk, without bones. The sea worm lives only on sandy beaches, where the tide rises and falls. This animal often hides under sand crevices, rock caves in coastal areas, sometimes at the bottom of the sea up to 30m deep.
The shape of this seafood is similar to an earthworm, reddish brown in color. On the body of the sea worm there are tiny veins along the length like veins but larger in size, brighter in color. Its intestine is a tube that runs from head to toe and contains sand.
A fresh sea worm is 7-15cm long, with a thick body. When dried, the sea worm is only about 6-10cm long.
Sandworms can only be harvested when the sea level is low. The best time to catch them is from March to August every year, because this is the time when they grow and have a high price.
To harvestproduceFor this, experienced people must use specialized tools. Local fishermen often wait early in the morning, around the time the tide has just receded, revealing the traces they left the night before while foraging for leftover food.
After being caught, fresh sea worms must be cleaned by turning them upside down to remove mud and internal organs, then cutting off both ends, washing them, freezing them to eat fresh, or drying them to preserve them longer.
Dried sea worms are easy to preserve and can be kept for a long time. They can be transported to many distant provinces and cities, serving the needs of diners to enjoy this specialty.
Despite its strange appearance, the sea worm is an extremely rare seafood. According to legend, since ancient times, sea worm has been used as a tribute to the king or high-ranking officials.
This type of seafood contains high nutritional content. Sea worms can be used to make many dishes such as stir-fried, grilled, porridge, fried in batter... In particular, it is also an ingredient to simmer pho broth, creating a natural sweetness for this famous dish.
This is also considered a precious medicine in Oriental medicine that helps cool the body and improve health.
According to many modern medical studies, sea worms are effective in supporting the treatment of some respiratory and bone and joint diseases...
