A Deliciously Unusual Chinese Dish: Eggs with Seafood-Flavored Yolk Sauce

China is renowned for its diverse and unique culinary culture, with many famous dishes such as… One of these delicacies is the delicious egg with fragrant yolk, rich in seafood flavor.

1What is sea duck egg?

This peculiar dish is a specialty from the salt marshes in Beihai, Guangxi Province, China, which borders Vietnam. Here, sea ducks are raised freely on nutrient-rich tidal flats. When the tide recedes, a variety of species get stuck on the shore, serving as a rich food source for the sea ducks.

The sea ducks also have a diet that includes seaweed and algae. This unique diet results in the sea ducks laying large eggs with a rich, creamy seafood flavor. Compared to regular duck eggs, the egg white of sea duck eggs is denser and less fishy. However, due to the low egg laying productivity and high breeding costs of sea ducks, the price of sea duck eggs is double that of normal duck eggs.

Sea duck egg

2How to make salted sea duck eggs

The most delicious way to enjoy sea duck eggs is by preparing salted sea duck eggs. The egg white is dark brown and salty, while the yolk is orange-red and has a rich, creamy flavor with a seafood aroma. When prodded, a little red oil oozes out, which is the fatty substance in the egg white that has transformed after the salting process.

Delicious salted sea duck eggs

Creating properly salted sea duck eggs is an art that requires meticulousness. In Beihai, people burn straw into ash and mix it with sea salt to create a dark black mud. This mixture is then applied to each egg, wrapped, and incubated for 28 days in a ceramic jar.

Once the incubation process is complete, the eggs are baked at 130 degrees Celsius for 5 hours to create the characteristic rich oily layer. The most challenging step in the process is determining the right amount of salt for the eggs. If there is too little salt, the eggs will not release oil, but if there is too much salt, the eggs will be too salty.

How to make salted sea duck eggs

This is the secret recipe of the people in Beihai. Salted sea duck eggs are not only delicious but also have high nutritional value. They contain more protein, calcium, and trace elements compared to regular eggs, while having lower fat content.

In 100g of salted sea duck eggs, there are up to 4056 grams of lecithin – a mixture of essential fats that regulate cholesterol levels in the body (50 times higher than the lecithin content in 100 grams of chicken eggs). Salted sea duck eggs are commonly enjoyed with hot rice, in stir-fried dishes like pumpkin sautéed with shrimp, and can also be used as a main ingredient for fillings in pastries.

Salted sea duck eggs are used in many Chinese dishes

3How much is the price of salted sea duck eggs?

In China, the price of salted sea duck eggs ranges from 2 to 4 CNY (equivalent to about 7,000 – 14,000 VND) per egg. Online retail markets usually sell eggs individually, and customers can store them in the refrigerator for 2-3 months.

Salted sea duck eggs have become a favorite specialty for many tourists visiting China and are also popular in the Japanese market. In Japan, a box of high-quality salted sea duck eggs can be sold for about 3.5 million VND as a gift.

Salted sea duck eggs are quite expensive

Hopefully, the information provided above about sea duck eggs has helped you broaden your knowledge about this Chinese specialty. If you have the opportunity to travel, be sure to give it a try.