Sea Urchin

About:

Sea urchins are small, spherical marine animals that are found living on seabeds all over the world.

You may well have found yourself trying to avoid stepping on a sea urchin when paddling in the sea on holiday.

The spiny shells of our sea urchins, which have been handpicked in Iceland, conceal a very valuable treasure: sea urchin roe.

Considered both a delicacy and an acquired taste, sea urchin roe, or uni as it's known in Japan, are not eggs but are in fact the creature’s sex organs or gonads. They have a briny but sweet ocean flavour and a unique, thick and creamy texture that can sometimes be divisive.

How to Cook:

Getting to the contents of your sea urchin takes some skill but is a fairly methodical process once you get the hang of it. First, you’ll need to use a robust pair of scissors to cut around the “equator”. Then, drain any dark liquid and use a spoon to scrape out any dark substance inside the shell. Give the inside of your sea urchin a rinse now and you should see five yellow-orange, tongue-like gonads which you can then use a spoon to scrape away from the edge of the shell. Give the roe another rinse in fresh or salt water and serve straight away or keep well chilled until you are ready.

Sea urchin roe is perhaps best when enjoyed in its purest form straight from the shell with no accompaniments. We certainly recommend eating it this way the first time you try it so that you can fully appreciate its unique flavour.

However, it is commonly served on top of nigiri sushi in Japan and can often be found stirred through pasta sauces in Italy.

What to Drink: 

Sea urchin roe needs an acidic white wine with slight earthy tones like Pinot Gris to cut through and balance its unctuous flavour and texture.

Packaging:

All our fresh and frozen fish and seafood arrives at your door vacuum packed. This helps to ensure that it stays fresh and is easy to store in your fridge or freezer.

Storage:

All fresh fish and seafood should be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of between 1 and 4°C and consumed by the date given on its packaging.

Delivery:

All orders will arrive within 1-2 working days, except for some local deliveries within Sussex which are shipped the same day via our own transport.

All deliveries will arrive before 5.30pm.

We offer free delivery to all UK postcodes on orders over £40.