Sea
Urchins, a California
Cuisine
According to legend,
witches once believed that the five lines
on a fossilized sea urchin represented the
coven's much-treasured pentagram.
First-century Roman historian Pliny the
Elder said that whoever licked one would
find his gallstones broken. Considered an
annoyance to some but an
aphrodisiac to others, the pointy sea
urchin is a creature that deserves a closer
examination.
Dating back to the Ordovician
period, the globular, spiny creature is a
member of the phylum enchinodermata, which
also includes starfish, sea cucumbers,
brittle stars and crinoids. They lack arms,
eyes and fins, and rely on their spines to
help them crawl. These spines are rooted in
their shell, or "test," and can grow up to
8 centimeters. A mouth with five teeth on
their underside helps them consume a diet
of seaweed, kelp and algae.
California is home to the red sea
urchin, which is found in the Pacific
Ocean from as far north as Alaska to as
south as Baja California. They prefer
to live in shallow water on rocky
ground that isn't subject to extreme
waves or layers of sand and mud.
We caught up in
San Diego, California, to talk with
Peter Halmay about the sea urchin diving
industry. Halmay has been diving for these
spiny sea creatures since the early 1970s,
and he is one of the limited-to-300
licensed sea urchin divers in Southern
California, as well as a "Barefoot
Ecologist," or a diver who oversees the
urchin fishery program in the local area.
He was also the president of the
now-defunct Sea Urchin Harvesters'
Association in California, was a president
of the former Urchin Producers' Marketing
Association in San Diego, and helped
organize the nonprofit organization called
Institute for Fisheries
Resources.
During the 1960s, Halmay said,
sea urchins were especially considered a
threat to fisheries, since the creatures
would cut through and dislocate the healthy
kelp forests that the fisheries rely
on. Different measures were taken to
try to eradicate them, such as crushing
them with hammers and liming
them.
But this changed in the 1970s
when another use was utilized for the spiny
echinoid: as culinary delight. The San
Diego Fisherman's Association was formed in
the 1970s, rallying enough support
to convince authorities to allow for
the fishery of sea urchins. Safe fishing
practices exist now, and the industry is
constantly working with the California
Department of Fish and Wildlife to maintain
them.
With
urchins running abundant across the coast
of California, it might be easy to assume
that the fishing trade is plentiful. Quite
the opposite is so, however: sea urchin
fishing can be a hazardous occupation, and
only a selective number of permits are
released. Divers must battle unreliable
conditions under water, breathe through a
hose of air that is attached to their boat
far above in order to have both hands free
for picking urchins, and often anchor their
boats in rocky coastal areas.
While
nearly all urchins were initially exported
to Japan when the trade first started, now,
one-third of the more than 800,000 pounds
that are produced is consumed in the U.S.
Because they are a high-ranked
international delicacy, they are highly
subject to "Best Practices" standards,
which ensure that only quality sea urchin
is caught and served. For instance, these
practices list specific conditions for
harvesting, handling, packing and
temperature and sanitation restrictions. In
Southern California, harvested urchins must
be at least 3.25 inches, while in Northern
California, they must be at least 3.5
inches. While there are no legal
requirements for how quickly the urchins
must reach consumers, because of the short
shelf-life of the urchin, they try to get
the urchins to the processors within 12
hours, and the processors try to process
them within 24-48 hours.
|
Sea
Urchins:
-
are sought after for their gonads,
the yellow-colored portion inside the
shell and the only edible part of the
creature
- must be kept safe from wind, rain
and sun while in transit
- need to be refrigerated as soon as
possible and must be held at a
temperature colder than ocean
temperatures when they are
harvested
-
have 48 milligrams of Omega-3 fatty
acids, 1 gram of protein and 20
milligrams of fat in every 2-teaspoon
serving
|
Urchins
are sought after for their gonads, the
yellow-colored portion inside the shell and
the only edible part of the creature, known
in Japan as "uni." According to the
California Sea Urchin Commission, there are
15 calories in every 2-teaspoon serving,
which includes 48 milligrams of Omega-3
fatty acids, 1 gram of protein and 20
milligrams of fat. Most often served in
sushi, they give off a salty ocean scent,
and have a sweet, buttery taste with a firm
texture. It's rare to find
restaurants that serve or use live sea
urchins in their menus, since most sushi
bars serve them processed, Halmay
said.
There
are three different grades of the delicacy:
"California Gold" is the highest grade,
used mainly for top-quality sushi; "Premium
California" are smaller but still intact
uni, which are used for sushi, soups,
salads, and other combination dishes, and
"Select California" is the lowest grade,
which is used in soups, sauces and dishes
where uni is mixed with other ingredients,
including other seafood.
Related
Content:
The Best Sea Urchin
Restaurants
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Top Seafood Restaurants Near You
Pairing Seafood with
Wine
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