Sea urchin

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About Sea Urchin
Rarely found on U.S. menus, this marine animal is considered a delicacy throughout Japan and many Mediterranean countries. There are many varieties (ranging in diameter from 1 to 10 inches) but all have a hard shell covered by prickly spines that make it look like a pincushion. Though it can be briefly cooked, sea urchin ROE is more often scooped out of the shell with a spoon and consumed raw. A popular method of serving sea urchin roe is to heap it atop a slice of French bread and sprinkle it with lemon juice. The sea urchin is member of the Echinoidea Class of Echinodermata Phylum and it can be found in all oceans all around the world. The aquatic creature is protected by spiny shell and the spines have an approximately one or two centimeters length. Sea urchins generally have a monotonous color; the most frequent colors include green, olive, brown, purple, red and black. At first sight the sea urchin appears to be a rigid object with no visible eyes or membranes. The sea urchin is actually a voracious predator with a hidden mouth that has five strong teeth. The spines that longer and sharper in same specie help them to protect the sea urchin from predators. Sea urchins survive by feeding themselves with algae. The spines can impose a hurting injury on a human if it steps on it, but the injuries are not as dangerous as they are painful because the sea urchin doesn’t contain any venomous substance. Sea urchin’s skin, also named the test, has firm, dry plates. Sea urchins have a spherical body and extended spines that emit from the body. The spines are also used both for moving and for trapping traveling algae to eat.