Chowhound's Los Angeles Area Message Board
Subject:     Re(4): Tsukasa Sushi--> Santa Barbara uni
From:        tarmitage@chla.usc.edu (Tom Armitage)
Posted:      October 24, 2001 at 12:53:50
 
In Reply To: Re(3): Tsukasa Sushi--> Santa Barbara uni
             Posted by Melanie Wong on October 23, 2001 at 17:49:22

Message:
Melanie:
 
I don't know the answer to your question regarding the "pop" you experienced in eating Santa Barbara uni. I don't think it's a matter of freshness. Uni is the reproductive organs of a sea urchin. The female ovaries can have a shomewhat granular appearance and texture, due to the presence in them of eggs. However, the eggs are so small that they would not result in a discernable "pop." The male gonads have a finer, smoother texture than the female ovaries.
 
I have not been able to learn the reasons for the differences in quality of uni. Fisheries in other areas (e.g., the North Atlantic) have tried to experiment with the sea urchin's diet to enhance the flavor and color of their uni, but largely without success. There are, however, noticeable quality differences if the mainstay of a sea urchin's diet, kelp, is in short supply, as is was during El Nino.
 
Hope this helps. 
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