Sea Urchin- UNI

[pacer45]

Love me some sea urchin...but can only get it shipped to me to me from Catalina ...would love to be able to get it here in CT...any help?

[ScubaSteve]

fresh live local urchin will be available in a few months. since i've had that, i really don't order the other stuff anymore.

[pacer45]

scubasteve...where do you buy your urchin

[ScubaSteve]

i get my fix at Fugakyu in Brookline, Ma. they usually can get it in live and open right in front of you.
or, if i'm diving into November i just pick it up and crack it open right on the shore.

[pacer45]

Scubasteve...I have eaten them just like that on the beach in Barbados...did not know you can get them on a dive here....I thought they alll came from Asia...is Fugakyu a fish store of restaurant.....I just like to get them and prepare them myself...no restaurant

[ScubaSteve]

Fugakyu is a sushi restaurant.
actually most of the prized Uni come from right off the coast of Maine.
it is not the season right now cuz of water temp and spawning. i cracked one open after a dive this past weekend and while being decent, the gonads were a little bitter. that will change once the water gets colder.
the only place i have seen them alive locally that was not a Sushi bar was Boston's Chinatown.

[pacer45]

Scubastev....I called Brown Trading in Maine..and they carry uni..so I will have them ship it to me..after I finish the ones I got from Catalina in California

[ScubaSteve]

it is probably from California as the Maine season does not open for another month.

http://www.maine.gov/dmr/rm/seaurchin...

[hargau]

When i was in Japan they told us that whenever you eat sea urchin it needs to be alive still. As soon as it dies it turns nasty tasting.

[ScubaSteve]

don't know about that. pretty much every sushi place around serves the stuff you get in the black plastic trays. don't know where that comes from but it sure ain't alive no more. the taste is good, but nothing compared to live. live also has better texture and mouth feel, it almost pops on your tongue.

edit- just checked with my sushi guy. he said that the gonads have to be harvested from the shell before the urchin dies. once that is done the gonads have about a 7-10day shelf life (refrigerated of course).

[hargau]

Ahh so maybe thats what they were talking about, translation may have been confused/lost!

Here is a place with the trays
http://www.catalinaop.com/California_...

[bigmackdaddy]

This is what I experience. Uni from Maine is superior to California uni. Much more flavor. I have also heard that white uni from northern Japan, such as Hokkaido is probably the ultimate.

[9lives]

I've bought them live in the shell at New Deal Fish Market..E Cambridge.

Uni..the restaurant also has it occassionally.

The best and most expensive comes from Japan then Santa Barbara and Maine.

The Caribbean sea urchin is much milder and there's little demand for it outside the immediate area...great to eat though.

[bowmore36]

9 lives i would agree... i've had better luck with uni from santa barbara rather than maine

[foodquest]

This is probably not at all helpful, but I buy uni at Browne Trading here in Portland, ME. ($14.95/box) Perhaps they could tell you if they sell to any retailers in CT?

Doesn't look like its listed on the website, but they have it regularly at the store.

I actually just picked some up the other day but hadn't broken into it yet -- until now. Such a fresh, clean taste of the sea!

https://www.brownetrading.com

[pacer45]

Foodquest...thanks much..I did call them and will have them ship me some...I had been getting it from Catalina in California....wish I could find it here in CT...

[mmalmad]

You might want to try #1 Fish market on State St. Hamden.

[joaniebaby]

I've had it at Ginza in Bloomfield Ct, but your best bet is their more upscale restaurant, Feng in Hartford. They tend to have more special sushi selections. I'd give them a call and see. JB