Where is the sea urchin delicious？ Unlock these ways to eat and you will know.
Original title: Sea urchin tempura, sea urchin pasta … There are more than one way to open sea urchins.
Author: Xie Tian
When I went to eat Japanese food with my friends, the other person asked, "Sea urchins are so ugly, and the meat looks sticky and must be fishy. Can this thing be delicious?"
Indeed, in the face of such a bizarre foods whose shell is full of thorns like a hedgehog and only has a few soft and slippery "internal organs" after being pried open, it is inevitable that the first glimpse of Japanese materials will be discouraged. And even among enthusiasts, "where is the sea urchin delicious?" It is also a hot topic that cannot be disputed.
Where is the sea urchin delicious?
There are many people who love to eat sea urchins, but they often spend their time in different eyes, and their preferences are different: some people love its sweetness and delicacy, some people love its instant taste, and some people are obsessed with its creamy soft texture-of course, some diners just want it to sound tall.
The contradiction between "weird appearance" and "beautiful taste" has brought the sea urchin two sides comparable to durian. Lovers love it very much and can’t stop, while haters hate it very much and never touch it.
What are your feelings for sea urchins?
For me, the greatest charm of sea urchin is that it is one of the few natural ingredients that can combine sour, sweet, bitter, salty and fresh flavors at the same time. The difference in flavor between sea urchins of different origins, seasons, varieties and grades often lies in the difference in harmony and balance of these five flavors. Exploring the five flavors, feeling the fusion and thinking privately is the greatest pleasure of tasting sea urchins.
In fact, it is quite normal that it is difficult to find the charm of sea urchins for a while-after all, even the Japanese who are addicted to sea urchins today have experienced the stage of flinching from them.
The history of sea urchin’s counterattack in Japan
Although the history of Japanese eating sea urchins can be traced back to the 9th century, it is only fifty or sixty years since it became popular in Japan. In the long years before, sea urchins were only local ingredients in remote areas such as Hokkaido, and were basically ignored in the core areas such as Honshu.
Until the 1960s, with the development of railway and preservation technology, some people began to introduce fresh sea urchins from Hokkaido to Tsukiji market in Tokyo through JR railway line, hoping that the people of Tokyo could also feel the unsurpassed delicacy of this northeast local product.
However, people are somewhat wary of the ingredients in the entrance that they have never touched. It is not so easy for diners in Tokyo to break through their defenses and swallow sea urchins that look as strange as aliens and taste beyond conventional cognition. The chefs who are used to cooking the ingredients in front of Edo are also at a loss in the face of this "strange thing".
As a result, sea urchins, the darling of today’s Japanese food stores, were left out in the cold at the beginning of their landing in Tokyo.
Until the original head of Kyubee, an old sushi shop at the palace level in Ginza, he was the first to wrap sea urchins and vinegar rice with seaweed. The sour taste of vinegar rice can just neutralize the sweetness of sea urchin, and the tidal taste of seaweed can match the fresh taste of sea urchin. Sea urchin, seaweed and vinegar rice have good chemical reactions with each other, forming a solid "iron triangle of taste".
Perhaps finally found the right way to open it, and the sea urchin finally gained a foothold in the sushi industry. Based on this "large-scale real fragrance scene", sea urchins can continue to expand geographically and technically, spread to various cooking fields all over Japan, and quickly set off a global upsurge.
Sea urchins can be opened in more than one way.
Sea urchin warship coil
In sushi terminology, the practice of wrapping vinegar rice balls with seaweed and putting ingredients on them is called "warship roll", which is often used for ingredients that are difficult to knead, such as sea urchin, salmon eggs, flying fish eggs and crab roe. Under the "bombardment" of warships, sea urchins have successfully shaken the conservative Tokyo market, and they are well-deserved sea urchin dishes.
At present, the practice of sea urchin sushi is dominated by warships, and even Jiro Ono, the "God of Sushi", is a fan. But in fact, there has always been a controversy in Japan about whether sea urchins and seaweed are compatible: "Purists" believe that the rich aroma and umami of seaweed will cover up the flavor of sea urchins, and even advocate the practice of directly kneading sushi without adding seaweed.
Sea urchin mixed rice
To enjoy the delicacy of sea urchin once and for all, is there anything more luxurious than sea urchin rice? Cover the sea urchin with rice and swallow it together. No one can resist this enjoyment!
If you want to further enhance the flavor, you can also sprinkle some salmon eggs. As soon as these two "Hokkaido villagers" met, they overcame countless people. The sweetness of sea urchins collided fiercely with the saltiness of fish eggs. Take Qi Mei as an example, and the vinegar rice makeup was heavily colored.
Sea urchin tempura
Sea urchin is an extremely delicate food, which will be broken with a little force and melted when heated. At first glance, it is obviously not suitable for rough frying. Therefore, sea urchin tempura sounds like an "impossible task". But in fact, sea urchins have become the new favorites in today’s bran shops-diners with sharp mouths and smart chefs. What can’t be done?
Roll up the full sea urchin with perilla leaves or seaweed, drag the batter and fry it in the pan. Only when the skin is golden and crispy, take it out quickly, only 10 seconds before and after. Bite it down, and the sea urchin wrapped under the crispy skin is fresh and sweet, which is by no means covered by simple "crispy outside and tender inside, instant in the mouth".
Steamed eggs with sea urchin
Generally speaking, sea urchins are mainly eaten raw, but steaming can also completely retain their fresh and sweet taste. Whether in Japan or China, it is popular to steam eggs with sea urchins, but there are some differences: "Tea Bowl Steaming" is more popular in Japan, and egg liquid is directly poured into sea urchin shells in coastal areas of China to steam until it is solidified.
Sea urchins and eggs are fresh, sweet and moist things, as if they were born with Qi Mei, and the taste of sea urchins makes the freshness even higher.
Sea urchin spaghetti
Sea urchin is not a Japanese patent, and westerners love it to death. At the seaside of France where sea urchins abound, sea urchins will be combined with oysters, mussels and other seafood to form a platter; And in Italy, it is undoubtedly the world of pasta.
Sea urchins have a creamy thick taste, which is a perfect match with white pasta with a lot of cream. When the two are integrated, sea urchins are both accessories and sauces. Japanese people, who are obsessed with sea urchins and pasta at the same time, incorporate Japanese ingredients into them and reinterpret them with oriental thinking: for example, ming prince is added to further enhance the freshness of the ocean, or perilla is used to give a fresher breath.
What are the famous sea urchin shops in Magic Capital that must punch in?
Catch all the sea urchins: UniBar sea urchin specialty store
Address: No.425 Weihai Road (Exit 8 of Metro Line 13)
UniBar, which is the same as famous Japanese food shops in Shanghai, such as Yezhong and Yilian, is a unique sea urchin store in Shanghai. If you are a deep sea urchin fan, don’t miss this store, which can catch all kinds of sea urchins in one time.
On the variety of sea urchins that can be tasted at the same time, UniBar is undoubtedly second to none in Magic Capital. You can choose 3-6 different varieties and grades of Japanese sea urchins at the same time, including horse manure sea urchin, purple sea urchin and red sea urchin. Weakly willing to give up his blood, he can also make a special bowl of super-luxury sea urchin rice.
What makes sea urchin fans irresistible is the variety of sea urchin dishes. Only tempura can be eaten with three packages of perilla leaves, seaweed and flatfish; Fanlibei, which is made of sea urchin, ming prince and caviar, can be called umami bomb. In addition, there are more than ten kinds of innovative sea urchin dishes, such as sea urchin toast, sea urchin and beef rolls, sea urchin pasta and so on.
The sea urchin feelings of French fishing port chefs: Fei Nisi
Address: Floor 2, Puli Hotel, No.1 Changde Road
After winning a Michelin star for three years in a row, the "Phoenix" located in Puli Hotel experienced a drastic change of chef. The new chef, who comes from the French port city of Marseille, is good at cooking seafood. He uses green apple gel, celery Mu Si and caviar to decorate the sea urchin in its original shell, just like a glittering and translucent jewel box.
Incidentally, the "iron triangle" composed of green apples, caviar and sea urchin is a classic combination that has been proved many times in innovative French cuisine. The acidity of apples and the sweetness of sea urchins complement each other perfectly, and caviar will not lose the edge of sea urchins while improving its freshness.
"Happiness is certain": Xian Xian
Address: Floor 8, Zone A, Meiluo City, No.111 Zhaojiabang Road, and Floor 4, South District of Nanfeng City, Hongqiao, No.100 Zunyi Road.
"Xianxian", a subsidiary of Wang Pin Group, is a well-known sea urchin store recently, with two branches in Shanghai temporarily.
The signboard "Happiness Must Be Sea urchin Rice" is covered with purple sea urchins from Hokkaido and decorated with fresh salmon eggs. The clerk will suggest that you don’t stir, just put the sea urchin and rice together, and it will be full of happiness!
Although it is not a sea urchin specialty store, you can also taste sea urchin perilla tempura, sea urchin tea bowl steaming and other dishes, all of which have good quality.
Online celebrity, Tik Tok: Magic House
Address: 7th Floor, Zhengda Plaza, No.168 Lujiazui West Road
This "online celebrity Store" in Zhengda Square has recently caught fire in Tik Tok. Its biggest selling point is the full weight of Japanese-style rice, as well as high cost performance.
"Three-color sea urchin rice" uses three kinds of sea urchins at the same time, and its weight is extremely solid. For the expensive sea urchin, such a solid weight is only 168 yuan, which is conscience enough.
The pleasure of eating sea urchins until you are full: Wang Ding
Address: Longhu Hongqiao Tianjie/Nanjing West Road World Trade Center/Shiboyuan/South Mall/Minsheng Road Huishang Building/Ruihong Tiandi Moon Bay and many other branches.
Different from the process of opening the Japanese market with sushi, sea urchins in China took the lead in opening the market through Japanese buffet. Sea urchins are often one of the most eye-catching "main coffees", from Yuanzu famous shops such as Jiutun and Chuhua to new forces such as Guanglinya Hall and Grapefruit.
Sea urchins are expensive. Generally speaking, the sea urchins in Japanese buffet are all purple sea urchins or red sea urchins with high cost performance. If you don’t judge by too harsh standards, you can at least be sweet and soft, and it will melt in your mouth. What’s more, for buffets, it is important to always be full of the consciousness of "eating the store down", helping the wall in and helping the wall out.
The quality of ingredients in Japanese buffet is not far from each other, so there is no need to recommend a certain sea urchin. Personally, I often go to "Wang Ding".
Sea urchin is the darling of Japanese food shops, as if it were born as a noble food. But in fact, sea urchin is the general name of echinodermata, and there are significant differences in price according to the variety and quality.
The species of sea urchins that can be tasted in China can be mainly divided into the following categories:
Yellow sea urchin: The shell and yellow sea urchin are yellow, which is the most affordable common sea urchin variety. Dalian, Liaoning, China is rich in yellow sea urchins.
Horse dung sea urchin: Sea urchin yellow is orange-red with sweet flavor, which occupies a large share in Japanese food stores. The shell is short and dense, like a small lump of horse manure, hence the name.
Sea urchin with dried shrimp and horse manure: Sea urchin yellow is obviously orange-red, with deep color, similar appearance to sea urchin with horse manure, slightly larger size and more sweet and rich flavor, and is considered as the top-grade sea urchin variety.
Purple sea urchin: The shell is purple, the spines are much longer than those of horse manure sea urchins, the sea urchin is yellow, and the flavor is relatively elegant. It is the most common sea urchin species in Japan.
North Purple Sea urchin: The shell is also purple, which is easily confused with purple sea urchin, but it is bigger than purple sea urchin, and the shell can reach about 10 cm. The sea urchin yellow is very light yellowish, which is the highest grade with the sea urchin of shrimp and horse manure. It is a favorite variety of Jiro Ono, the "God of Sushi".
Red sea urchin: The shell is red, while the sea urchin yellow is golden yellow, which has a rich taste. Because of its small output and high price, it is not as well-known as the sea urchin of shrimp and horse manure and the sea urchin of North Purple, and it is also highly praised by gourmets.
It should be noted that the above "purple sea urchin" or "red sea urchin" is named according to the shell color of sea urchin. In the jargon of Japanese industry, it is customary to refer to the sea urchin according to its flesh color (that is, the color of sea urchin yellow). The north purple sea urchin is called "white sea urchin" and the sea urchin from shrimp and horse manure is called "red sea urchin", so don’t confuse it.
According to the classification of grades, it can be divided into three grades: A, B and C. Grade A is the highest, representing the best freshness, sweetness and compactness, which also represents the basic judgment standard of sea urchin quality in the industry: fresh quality, no odor; Taste sweet, less bitter; The appearance is complete and there is no damage.