How to pair wine with sea cucumber

I am going to make some sea cucumbers braised in oyster sauce with Matsutake mushroom.

Texture wise, sea cucumber is like a sticky, thick and gelatinous. While it is a seafood, sea cucumber is very mild in fishiness. It takes on the flavor it cooked with very well. Matsutake mushroom has a very complex earthy and umami taste.

Any thoughts on what wine to pair with the dish? It will fun to experiment.

You had me at “sticky, thick and gelatinous”

So basically you are just pairing it to the oyster sauce/mushroom flavor but you don’t want to overwhelm the delicate flavor of your giant aquatic loogie?

So I’d go low tannin red with plummy fruit characteristics. Like certain merlots or a southern Rhone blend maybe?

Riesling? But I’ve had Riesling on the brain for the past few days, so maybe I’m prejudiced…

Teenage Mosel Spatlesen.

Krug MV

I am just afraid both the flavor of the sauce with the mushroom and the dense texture of the sea cucumber will be too heavy for a wine wine to pair well.
I am thinking about a high acid and low tannin reds with some red fruits character…maybe a barbera or a good Chianti…

Personally I do not like Krug with a heavy dish …it often makes the wine taste a little metallic…just my personal experience

Barbera might be a winner.

Yeah…It will be one of the wine I am going to test…

I was thinking it might stand up to the dish. I find it does very well with umami - not sure with the sea cukes. I think I’ve only had them with baijiu

It is just my personal experience. I had a piece of o-churo sashimi with krug…the richness of the fish made the wine taste off.

Not sure with the sea cucumber…maybe I will try a less expensive bubbly, just for fun…

some ideas :

Cru Beaujolais
Manzanilla from Sanlucar
Alsatian Pinot Blanc
Bruichladdich 10

I am thinking about Cru Beaujolais as well. Love the Bruichladdich idea.
Another wine in mind is Xinomavro.

I’d do champagne with this dish.

COS Cerasuolo di Vitoria

Drift off my own thread…

I would like to know your opinion (from any non-east Asian) on sea cucumber. It is sought after in China and Japan and can cost more than 2000dollars a pound. While it is not even considered as food out of the region.
Just curious why people don’t like it.

I like it, but I know people who don’t care for the texture.

I think almost assuredly it’s textural (since it has no flavor) along with unfamiliarity/unavailability. Textures that many Chinese find luxurious are not appreciated by many here

No flavor?? Are we talking about the same thing? It’s not super strong, but definitely there.

Sea cucumber is a quite versatile ingredient.
The texture of sea cucumber depends on the cooking technique. It does not have to be gelatinous…
One dish I do is to slight poach it in green tea and then slice it toast it in rice vinegar and mirin for a quick marinade. Serve it with some shaved daikon radish topped with some salted salmon roe…The sea cumber is crunchy with mind aroma of sea water…
That is a dish I will pair Krug with…