Uni: Sea Urchin Sushi
I remember growing up and going down to Natural Bridges State Park to go tidepooling. One of the most common things you'd see there were sea urchins.
I'm not an expert of culinary sciences, but as a kid I never really wanted to pick one of those up (for fear of impaling myself) and eat it. It just doesn't look good.
For my birthday, I went out to an excellent local sushi restaurant and ate the sushified version of sea urchin or uni. For what its worth, most online references to uni say that "sea urchin sushi uses the gonads of the sea urchin". I'd image that in this context, the word "gonads" means "tastiest part" instead of any of its usual meaninges. It looked something like the image below which is more or less a yellow tongue.
Because it was my birthday, I tried it. When you eat these guys, the tongue texture dissolves in your mouth and it gives way to a fatty paste of sea urchin deliciousness. It has a very strong taste that I've heard described as "buttery" but I"m pretty sure that isn't the word. I've also seen it written as "sweet", but I can't quite put that word on it as well. I keep thinking it is something like raw egg yolk.
I know a lot of sushi eaters can't stand uni, but if you get the chance you have to try it because the taste can be best summed up as "one of a kind".
I'm not an expert of culinary sciences, but as a kid I never really wanted to pick one of those up (for fear of impaling myself) and eat it. It just doesn't look good.
For my birthday, I went out to an excellent local sushi restaurant and ate the sushified version of sea urchin or uni. For what its worth, most online references to uni say that "sea urchin sushi uses the gonads of the sea urchin". I'd image that in this context, the word "gonads" means "tastiest part" instead of any of its usual meaninges. It looked something like the image below which is more or less a yellow tongue.
Because it was my birthday, I tried it. When you eat these guys, the tongue texture dissolves in your mouth and it gives way to a fatty paste of sea urchin deliciousness. It has a very strong taste that I've heard described as "buttery" but I"m pretty sure that isn't the word. I've also seen it written as "sweet", but I can't quite put that word on it as well. I keep thinking it is something like raw egg yolk.
I know a lot of sushi eaters can't stand uni, but if you get the chance you have to try it because the taste can be best summed up as "one of a kind".
posted by beatdodgers at
12:20 AM
5 Comments:
Uni maki. One of a kind is exactly the taste. Its flavour is sweet and its texture is buttery -- it melts on impact and flavours every bit of the rice it sat upon, delivering its sweetness through the rice. It's also funky, with the skunk of beer. Forget where it came from (GONADS) or what it is - it's what deliciousness aspires to.
gonads are sexual organs.
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You should try it barbequed in its shell. Remove the entire contents from the shell, clean the gonads, put them back in the shell (remove the internal organs and wash with clean sea water or light brine) and barbeque. Top it with squeeze a slice of lemon.
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