Uni

[sheepgirl]

Just purchased uni for the first time. Help - what do I do with it?

[njfreqflyer]

I've used it raw and cooked. There are several recipes at:

http://puha.org/assets/sea-urchin-rec...

The bruschetta has been very well received when I've made it at home for friends and family. Also good in risotto with a little bit of crab.

[mariacarmen]

i made this last month with fresh uni - it was out of this world fantastic: http://bennydoro.com/chef/recipes/eri...

we also did eat some raw, with sushi, as sushi, rolled in some seaweed, little lemon juice, little roe, little wasabi... mmm...

[joonjoon]

Have it as sushi. I just made myself some uni rolls the other day. Sushi rice, seaweed, uni, a little scallion and maybe a sprinkle of lemon is all you need. Mmm.

[rasputina]

I've only ever eaten fresh from the ocean, crack it open rinse in sea water and eat.

[zin1953]

Amen to that . . .

[Grunde]

Double amen to that. I pick them myself. The taste will go of really fast.
I've read somewhere that the Japanese regard Uni as the seafood that is the hardest to learn to like. A true "aquired taste".

[hotoynoodle]

my friends who don't like it have trouble with the texture more than the flavor.

[Grunde]

It has a slight sea weedy, bitterish, sandy taste. Albeit I eat it, I still havent fully aquired it myself.

[hotoynoodle]

it should taste of the sea, but not be bitter. that's a freshness factor.

[Grunde]

Not bitter. Bitter-ish, in lack of a better word.
The same way that crab tomalley or horsemussels have a faint hint of a sandy beach at low tide. This taste is far more accentuated in the large red common sea urchin than in the smaller black ones (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) that we export tons of to Japan every year.
People that aren't used to eating other seafood than white fish, shrimps or lobster tail can find this taste challenging. Then again, I pick my urchins from the squeaky clean waters of the arctic sea and I suppose those taste more "wild" than the farmed varieties you normally get in restaurants. They certainly have smaller gonads, and I suppose the taste varies with what they are fed in captivity.
Personally, I love it.

[Booklegger451]

Did you buy it whole (Black Spiny Baseball of Doom), or did you buy it prepared (Beigey orange lozenges of roe)?

[sheepgirl]

Prepared - have only ever had it at restaurants. Looking for recipes that I can prepare at home.

[hotoynoodle]

if you haven't already, i'd eat it NOW. over 24 hours old and it develops a strong flavor very few people like.

[Booklegger451]

I concur with Hotoynoodle... it won't stay fresh long. I'd go for as simple a recipe as you can find. I like it on some fresh pasta, with just a bit of butter and black pepper.

[hotoynoodle]

use it quickly. it gets an iodiney flavor if it sits too long. as other have mentioned it's great over pasta, mixed with butter. amazing with lardo, or just eaten with a bit of wasabi.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. could eat that stuff everyday.

[melpy]

I am not a fan of uni but Marea uses it in a pasta sauce. Check out their menu to see what else is included.

[law_doc89]

Try breading in corn flour, deep fry, use as crouton in salad with green goddess dressing.

[wattacetti]

Apart from just eat it? It makes a nice sauce and you can incorporate into sandwiches if you like.

I like it plain or on top of rice.