Would you try this ramen topped with a scary deep-sea creature in Taiwan?

2 min read

Ramen Boy, a Taipei-based restaurant has been getting a lot of attention for its newest addition to the menu: a delicious ramen dish topped with a steamed 14-legged giant isopod (Bathynomus giganteus) that looks like something out of an horror movie.
Available at the Liaoning Street Night Market, the owner of the ramen shop describes it as his “dream” ingredient, noting that the hideous, alien-like, 160-million-year-old arthropod species tastes similar to lobster and crab.
Literally called “Giant isopod with creamy chicken broth ramen”, not by chance, the dish consists of a large bowl of ramen and the creature steamed in its own shell.
To prepare the deep-sea crustacean, the cooks remove the stomach viscera, keeping the creamy glands for consumption, and steam it.
As shocking as the photos appear, the chef says that the overall taste is fresh and that the giant isopod’s yellow glands are unexpectedly sweet.

The owner of Ramen Boy reportedly got the idea for this unusual dish while visiting Japan, where he would see these isopods in aquariums.
At the time he thought they were very cute, but he eventually decided they would make great ingredients for an exclusive ramen dish.
Caught near Dongsha Island, the giant isopod is made with a thick Yusuke chicken bouillon soup where the meaty portions are boiled with katsuobushi and other seafood.
The shell itself is only for decoration, but this unique ramen dish isn’t for everyone.
Firstly, the appearance of the creature is sure to put a lot of people off, but the price and availability of the dish are also prohibitive, as one serving costs about $48 and this is a limited edition.

Either way, the creature know as bathynomus giganteus is a carnivorous species that can live at depths of 7,000 meters and feeds on the remains of other sea creatures and slow-moving marine life, like sea cucumbers, sponges and nematodes.
They start off as parasites, feeding off the blood and flesh of their hosts, but eventually grow into sea scavengers that feed on carcasses and remains that sink to the floor of the ocean.
Enjoy your meal!