Chinese woman comes up with a hot (and spicy) idea to deal with Denmark’s oyster invasion

A video of a Chinese woman cooking Sichuan-style oysters in Denmark has gone viral online, adding another ingredient to the Nordic country’s “oyster diplomacy” in China.

Bian Miaomiao, a native of the southwest city of Chengdu who now lives in Arhus with her Danish husband, shared on social media her story about collecting 150kg of fresh oysters in four hours, and cooking them the Sichuanese way for European friends who traditionally ate their shellfish raw.

Bian tried several recipes, including stir-fried, barbecued and cooked in an omelette.

Referring to Sichuan cuisine’s reputation of being spicy, Bian said her Danish friends were at first shocked by the signature hot and numbing flavour of the dishes but in no time were loving them.

Her post attracted a number of likes, comments and retweets, including those by the Danish embassy to Beijing.

Denmark has the problem that its own waters have been inundated by invasive Pacific oysters which are taking over the marine habitat of native species. The embassy seized on the idea of enlisting China’s huge appetite for Pacific oysters as a way to eradicate the environmental pest: in short, if you can’t defeat them, eat ’em.

The Danes are keen to export the alien shellfish, and have even toyed with the idea of offering special “oyster visas” to China’s foodies.

A spokesperson of the embassy told the Chengdu Business Daily that they appreciated Bian’s cooking skills and were “very delighted to see the oysters been eaten”.

“We welcome more Sichuanese friends to visit Denmark and showcase their cooking skills,” the paper quoted him as saying.