FOOD NEWS
What Is Uni And How Do You Eat It?
BY NIKITA EPHANOV
Mostly associated with Japanese cuisine, uni is a sea urchin's reproductive organs, which is the only edible part of the spiny ocean-dweller. It costs up to $400 per kilogram.
Uni is rich and creamy, with a texture reminiscent of a good Pâté, but lighter. The flavor is lightly salty, with oceanic touches reminiscent of other high-quality seafood.
Usually served as a sushi type, uni is mostly consumed raw, sashimi style, to fully savor their unique taste, but you can also integrate them into a sauce to stretch the flavor.
Combine the uni with Mexican crema and Calabrian chiles and enjoy it on Italian pasta, or eat it over rice nigiri sushi style, in a hand roll, on toast, or as an omelet topping.
The seafood brings an ocean flavor sans overwhelming intensity. You can counterbalance its salinity with rich foods like bone marrow or combine it with butter to up the decadence.