half dozen commercial species of sea urchins
with average diameters of 2.5–5 in/6–12 cm.
They’re almost entirely enclosed in a sphere
of mineralized plates covered with protective
spines, and are collected mainly for their
golden, creamy, richly flavored reproductive
tissues, which can account for up to two-thirds
of the internal tissues. Both testes and ovaries
are prized, and are hard to tell apart. Sea-
urchin gonads average 15–25% fat and 2–3%
savory amino acids, peptides, and IMP. In
Japan, sea urchins are eaten raw in sushi or
salted and fermented into a savory paste; in
France they’re added to scrambled eggs,
soufflés, fish soups and sauces, and
sometimes poached whole.
Preserved Fish
and Shellfish
Few foods go bad faster than fish. And until
recently, few people in the world had the