Sea urchin

Oursin

What it is

Inside the hostile shell wait five coral tongues tasting of iodine, hazelnut and returning tide — uni to Japan, corail to Provence, where winter villages hold oursinades, festivals of urchins eaten by the dozen on the quay. The sea’s most guarded custard.

In the kitchen

Fold the tongues into scrambled eggs or warm butter off the heat — past sixty degrees the perfume flees. Winter urchins are the fullest.

Goes with

Egg Butter Rice Lemon Cream

Also used with

Moshio seaweed salt Violet sea squirt

In season alongside

King crab Abalone American lobster Arctic char Clam Common prawn

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