Ocean delicacies often come with a hefty price tag. Shrimp and scallops are already costly treats for most people, yet there exist marine delicacies that are truly astronomical in price. However, there are types of seafood you may never have encountered, and their prices are nothing short of astonishing.
The Price Tags of Oceanic Rarities: Mind-Boggling Costs
Here is a curated list of the world's most intriguing, rare, and consequently priciest seafood.
Albino Beluga Caviar
This is no joke—golden caviar is real. It comes from albino beluga sturgeon, which spawn only once in a century. Each year, merely 10 kilograms of this caviar can be harvested. Despite its cost of 18,500 euros per kilogram, buyers queue up in the literal sense. The delicacy is already reserved with the world's sole manufacturing company for the next four years. Interestingly, Iranian dealers who collect beluga albino caviar pack it exclusively in golden jars—as if the dish weren't already luxurious enough!
Image credit: glsteelheadco.com
Sea-Fertilized Potatoes
We typically think of seafood as something living, like fish or shellfish. But a root vegetable can also be classified as seafood—even if it isn't grown in water. In southern France, farmers cultivate a special potato variety, fertilizing it with various algae throughout the ripening period. The result is a product with an extraordinary taste and almost healing properties. These potatoes combine the benefits of terrestrial vegetables and marine plants. They cost around $500 per kilogram, and buying them anywhere other than the French island of Noirmoutier is quite difficult.
Photo: bbc.co.uk
Sea Cucumber (Holothuria)
Even if you are a gourmet who has tried sea urchin and deadly puffer fish, this product will surprise you. Holothuria, also known as a sea cucumber, looks unattractive when alive. It is oblong, covered with dozens of spiny processes, and can reach up to 5 meters in length. Yet chefs at Michelin-starred restaurants have learned to prepare real delicacies from these unappealing creatures. They are mostly cooked in Japan and Italy. In both countries, the cost of a sea cucumber dish is quite high (though it varies by the specific variety of holothuria), starting at $100 per serving of stew or soup.
Source: ryanphotographic.com
Fugu (Puffer Fish)
Speaking of puffer fish, it definitely deserves attention. Its body is saturated with tetrodotoxin, a deadly poison. Only through extremely skillful preparation does this poison lose its properties—though only partially, because when eating fugu, gourmets experience numbness in the lips, tongue, and even limbs. Whether due to mortal danger or amazing taste, fugu is mostly loved by the Japanese. You can buy one fish on the market for at least $300, but we strongly advise against doing so. Learning to cook this animal correctly takes years of training. Therefore, it is better to visit a restaurant and try the dangerous meat there, at a price of around $1,000 per dish.
Courtesy of thejakartapost.com
Abalone Mollusks
Abalone is a rather rare delicacy due to the difficulty of harvesting them. To bring these mollusks up from the ocean floor, divers must descend to considerable depths. Interestingly, inside the shells of these mollusks, a rare and very expensive type of pearl—abalone pearl—is sometimes found. Consequently, there are many such seafood items. Real abalone costs about $300 per kilogram and will surprise any gourmet with its unique taste!
Image: alibaba.com
We trust that seafood enthusiasts found this article engaging. We also suggest checking out our piece on the finest chocolate globally—delicious, nutritious, and costly. "The Best Chocolate In The World And Where To Look For It"
