Eating Sea Urchin (Uni)
Uni (sea urchin) is a
delicacy in Japan. The roe is scooped
out, rinsed off, and eaten as is or served on rice - donburi or sea
urchin sushi style. It's an expensive treat however, so
during the summer many people take to the beaches to gather
red sea urchins on their own.
Gathering uni is technically illegal unless you have a commercial fishing licence, but it's unofficially accepted--for personal consumption. There is lots of uni crawling around in the depths and if their numbers aren't kept in check, they tend to do a lot of damage to the kelp beds (sea urchin eat kelp and other seaweed). For this reason, personal consumption of red sea urchin in limited numbers is tolerated.
What's the best way to eat uni? That depends. If you can handle the taste (think low tide at the pier; salt water, kelp, and an indescribable oceany flavour) and like your food fresh, then off the shell is best, like a freshly shucked oyster. Just pull 'em out of the ocean, crack 'em open, rinse 'em off, and slurp 'em back.
If you prefer to wash your fresh sea urchin down with something, then uni on rice (often followed by liberal mouthful of beer) is the way to go. Red sea urchin sushi is very popular, as is sea urchin donburi.
For many Japanese eating uni at the beach is a rite of summer (and for some of us, a rite of passage). Families, friends, and co-workers gather at beaches and spend the day catching and eating sea urchin uni, barbecuing, drinking, swimming, and playing.
If you're ever in Japan during uni season, plan a day trip to a local beach to catch and enjoy a few fresh sea urchins. All you need is a swimsuit, a mask, a rock, and a spoon - but a strong stomach also helps.
Red sea urchin isn't available in all parts of the countrry, and different beaches have different local specialties. But if sea urchins are your thing, this is a great place to enjoy them very fresh.
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