The unctuous and somewhat polarizing ingredient is making appearances on menus across the country
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Sea urchin is a rather unusual ingredient on restaurant menus, but it does have a loyal following, and it’s becoming more popular in the United States.
It’s smooth and rich, even creamy, and tastes like the embodiment of the sea, with a strong briny flavor accompanied by hints of sweetness and sometimes metallic qualities, as well as a certain fishiness.
It’s not a type of fish, however. Nor is it a crustacean like shrimp or lobster, or a mollusk like oysters, clams, squid, and octopus. Rather, it’s an echinoderm, a large group of invertebrate sea creatures that rarely make it onto dinner plates.
But sea urchin is showing up on more menus: Mentions of the seafood have grown by 23.5% over the past year, according to Technomic’s Ignite Menu data.
Sea urchin is prized in Japanese cuisine, where it’s called uni, a name that’s often used for it on American menus, too. It can also be found in cuisines throughout the Mediterranean.
It appears frequently on sushi menus, where it’s generally served raw, but it also appears on raw bars as well as in prepared dishes.
Two restaurants, Rokusho in Hollywood, Calif., which specializes in izakaya, or Japanese tavern fare, and Siempre J.B., modern Mexican restaurant in Las Vegas, have used it on tostadas, while other restaurants, including Amour in West Hollywood, Calif., Maison Sun in Brooklyn, and the recently shuttered Money Cat in Houston, have made it into custard.
Read on to learn more about how these restaurants have used sea urchin.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected]
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