Dolphin meat has a long tradition as a delicacy in many cultures. People have concerns about the legality, taste, and other aspects of eating Dolphins. You may have several questions like these going through your mind right now.
What does a dolphin taste like? Its dark-red meat has a flavor resembling beef. The difference from your standard beef comes from the seafood flavor it has.
The declining population of dolphins has raised a question of ethicality in hunting them. You may not find this meat in your local restaurants and fish markets. We can help you understand more about the taste and flavor of this meat.
Do People Eat Dolphins
Yes, people do eat dolphins. Cultures that have long depended on the ocean for food used dolphin meat. Japan, Iceland, Peru, and many other countries have used it in their diet for generations. Many countries have made it illegal to hunt dolphins. Now, commercial hunting happens only in a few countries like Japan.
Over-hunting due to voracious hunting practices has endangered all types of dolphins. The presence of high mercury levels in dolphin meat has created health concerns. Many countries have banned dolphin meat due to these reasons. Keep these facts in mind if you have an interest in tasting it.
What Does Dolphin Taste Like
As stated before, dolphin meat tastes like beef. The cooked meat has a beef liver-kind of flavor. It has a salty, sea animal-like flavor as well. We can say that it tastes like a mammal, with some ocean flavor. The flesh has a firm but moist texture. It also has some sweetness to its flavor and doesn’t taste fishy.
Dolphin meat has a deep, dark-red color that almost looks black. The people of Peru call it the Pork of Ocean. It has a meaty taste with some flakiness. You can also experience sweetness from the meat along with its strong flavor. As a marine mammal, it makes sense that dolphins taste like land animals.
Dolphins have blubber, which functions as a fat storage layer. You may get surprised to know that people consume it, raw or cooked. It has an oily flavor with a salty, nut-like taste. It forms an energy-rich food source for the people in the polar region. PCBs (Poly-chlorinated-biphenyls) and high levels of mercury in blubbers can cause serious health problems.
As apex predators in the ocean, dolphins contain high mercury levels due to bio-magnification. It can reach several folds than the safe consumption limits. This can affect your cardiovascular system, lungs, kidneys, as well as neurological functioning. Many countries protect dolphins through legislation. Consuming illegal dolphin meat can invite legal charges for you.
How to Cook Tasty Dolphin Dish
Dolphin meat has a deep flavor on its own. People prepare this beefy meat as Sashimi, a delicacy from Japan. Sashimi stands for raw and thin sliced meat or fish. You can use condiments such as soy sauce and wasabi to go with it. The texture and flavor of dolphin meat give a savory taste. It can feel close to the umami-rich taste of beef.
Sushi, another Japanese culinary marvel, presents rice wrapped in thin, sliced meat or fish. It also has seaweed wrapping. The beefy dolphin with sticky rice and seaweed creates an amalgamation of flavors. You can use soy sauce or wasabi to enrich the taste of Sushi.
Grilling offers an easy and beloved way to savor dolphin meat. Grilled dolphin meat resembles beef in a visual sense and in taste. You can use standard grilling techniques to prepare it.
Fish cakes form a well-loved dish all around the world. Even though dolphins don’t taste like fish, they can make a decent cake. People dip it in the batter and deep fry until it turns golden brown.
Raw dolphin meat and fat layer have a fixed place in the Polar region diet. The chewy, fatty blubber often gets consumed raw.
Conclusion
Many cultures have used dolphin meat as a staple food source. It has dark red, almost black color, with a firm, moist texture. The taste of Dolphin meat resembles beef but has a salty side. Overhunting of dolphins led to a steep decline in their population. You must know that many countries have banned the commercial hunting of dolphins.
The salty, sweet, and beefy flesh of dolphins has a moist but firm texture. These characteristics make it ideal for Sashimi and Sushi. Grilled dolphin meat and deep-fried cakes also form flavorful dishes. The flavor, taste, and texture resemble beef, apart from the saltiness.
Dolphin meat has mercury levels much higher than the safe limits. This toxic level of mercury stems from ocean pollution. It can affect different organs and compromise brain function. You should know that dolphins have one of the most toxic levels of mercury.