Sea Urchin

Sea urchin in tinned form is a rare and prized delicacy, its briny, oceanic flavour concentrated by preservation into one of the most intensely flavoured products in the tinned fish world. Tinned uni from Japan, Chile, and California preserves the roe of several sea urchin species, most commonly the red urchin (Mesocentrotus franciscanus) and the purple urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) on the Pacific Coast. Galician producers pack erizo de mar, harvested by hand from Cantabrian rocks by Agromar, in a format that has made the producer internationally celebrated. Japanese producers in Hokkaido pack premium domestic uni in salt-water solution. Supply is highly seasonal and prices reflect the scarcity and labour intensity of harvest.