So you've finally gathered the guts to eat uni. (They say it's raw sea urchin "roe." [whispering in teeny voice] But it's really sea urchin gonads, dude! Seriously yo.) We have a few pointers we picked up from Chef Dave from Shiro's in Seattle. (Yes, they serve really good stuff!)
What to expect
Uni has the texture of brain (not that we know what brain feels like, but that's how we imagine it)—firm yet custardy. Uni has a light, sweet taste with no hint of fishiness.
Determining quality
Eat only fresh uni. Uni is delicate and falls apart easily, so it gets disgusting when it's been processed. If it's watery or squishy, turn up your nose and mentally cross out the sushi place from your list of favorite restaurants.
The best kinds of uni are harvested in cold waters. Alaskan sea urchin are good, and the ones in California are seasonal (late fall through winter). They can be good when the water is cold, but terrible when not. The Japanese market covets the December harvests in particular.
Bon Appetit!
What could whet appetite better than the, ahem, something-something of spiky sea-cucumber thingies with the mouthfeel of braaaiins?! Enjoy!
p.s. "spiky sea-cucumber thingies" are called "echinoids" by some people with fancy degrees. See, we know some big words! Oooh!
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