Recently, the low midafternoon tides created ideal conditions for beachcombing around lunchtime. I discovered an array of treasures, including sea walnut comb jellies, starnut sea beans and moon jellyfish.
During my visit to Fisherman’s Wharf in Port Aransas, the marina was teeming with large moon jellyfish. Unlike most jellyfish, these have striking clear bells with four discernible circles on top, which are actually their reproductive organs. Measuring about 12 inches in diameter and extending a couple of feet with their four dangling oral arms, these jellies are quite impressive. Some even had small fish swimming beneath their bells, seeking refuge from larger predators. I also observed a sea turtle navigating through the gelatinous creatures, occasionally taking bites out of their bells. The bite marks, shaped like diamonds, clearly showed where the turtle had fed.
There are some countries that eat moon jellyfish, marinating the bell in mint and lime. Some cultures shred or slice the jelly, toss sugar and soy sauce on it for salad. And some just cut it into noodles, boil and serve with vegetables or meat. They are 90% water and 5% protein with very low calories. People say their flavor is like a slightly salty oyster flavor with a clean texture.