Yes, You Can Eat Fish Eyes. Here's How To Cook Them

Fish is quite delicious — or at least, most parts of it. It's also highly nutritious, packed with healthy fats, and may help reduce the risk of heart failure, which is why the American Heart Association recommends eating fish at least twice a week.

It is also very delicate to prepare and one of the trickiest proteins to cook just right, which is why chefs undergo special training to avoid big mistakes when cooking fish. Take, for example, licensed fugu chefs who must go through at least two years of intensive courses followed by a lifetime of practice to master the art of safely handling puffer fish, one of the world's most controversial foods.

But even if you're the greatest fish foodie on the planet, and always looking for an uncommon dining experience, how far are you ready to go to explore the unique flavors of the fish world? Well, brace yourself because you might have just found your next challenge. Have you ever tried fish eyeballs? 

In case you didn't know, they are indeed edible. And while Europeans and Americans have afforded themselves the luxury of discarding them as waste, that doesn't mean Asian cultures haven't found ways to truly appreciate them. Being offered a fish eye in some regions is quite the honor, as they're a delicacy traditionally reserved for the most special guest at the table. But what makes fish eyeballs so special? And how exactly do you cook them to bring out their umami?

While the texture of fish eyes can vary depending on the type of fish and how it's cooked, one thing is certain: Fish eyes are really gooey and gelatinous. But this shouldn't come as a surprise, given how they're made up of 99% water. And with the remaining 1% being mostly hyaluronic acid, just imagine the radiant glow they could bring to your skin. 

Another factor that influences the taste of the eyeballs is whether the fish is caught in the ocean or a freshwater lake. But aside from that you might be amazed to find out that eating fish eyes is not much different from eating raw oysters.  They're soft, chewy and quite crunchy the first moment you bite into them. And as the eye bursts open with the second bite, it releases this mix of satisfying flavors, that are unlike anything you've ever tasted before.

Okay, I hear you — that doesn't change the fact that it's an eye. An eye in your mouth! But while grappling with the mental hurdle of actually chewing one, why not skip the hardcore raw fish eye recipes, and instead pick the dishes where they're cooked? Remember that staying open-minded will also help you get past the initial shock.

After finally mustering the courage to try fish eyes, probably the best way to ease into the experience is to aim for dishes where they are seasoned and grilled, or incorporated into soups or stews. A particular recipe to consider is ukha – a 17th-century Russian fish soup made with herbs and veggies. The fun part is that it comes with the whole fish head (eyes and everything!) floating in the broth. So once you scoop them out of the head with your spoon, try letting them rest in your mouth for a moment, and allow all those rich, fatty flavours to reach your taste buds. 

Yet, if you're looking for something fancier than simply a couple of fish eyes tossed in your soup, there are plenty of exciting ways to experiment with them. Tuna nigiri is just one option to take into consideration. Just remove the eyeballs from the tuna head, season them, and smoke them for a couple of hours. Then drizzle all of the flavorful juices they've released over your nigiri pieces, and you're done. It's still a better option than heading to the grocery store and wondering if the sushi is safe to eat.

Ultimately, if you're ready to take a bolder approach to fish eyes and embrace a more adventurous side, you could always turn them into crispy fish eye chips. Just make sure they're fresh and straight from the store.