Harvesting sea urchins is done by hand by divers. Photo: Sea Urchin Harvest.
There’s a culinary delicacy waging war on some of our most vulnerable aquatic environments.
The long-spined sea urchin (Centrostephanus Rodgersii) is a spiny marine invertebrate that feeds on kelp and seaweed. Native to the waters of Queensland and Northern NSW, an increase in sea temperatures has tempted the sea urchin south to the NSW South Coast, Victoria and Tasmania – an area known as the Great Southern Reef – leaving behind barren seascapes in their wake.
“The Great Southern Reef has profound ecological, cultural and economic significance. Ecologically, it is a global biodiversity hotspot hosting a wide array of species, including a high percentage being unique to the region,” according to the Great Southern Reef Foundation.
Abalone divers are on the front line in preventing further environmental tragedy to this significant seascape, but more needs to be done to allow marine habitats to recover.
The good news is that a delicious incentive could make all the difference in this environmental battle.
Chris Theodore (right) runs Sea Urchin Harvest in Tomakin. Photo: Supplied.
The interior of this spiny creature contains the roe of the urchin, known as uni in Japan and kina in New Zealand. In these countries, and others around Asia and the Pacific, Sea Urchin Roe is a much sought-after delicacy, but Australia seems to lack the appetite for it.
Chris Theodore is a second-generation abalone diver and the owner of Sea Urchin Harvest, a processing facility in Tomakin.
“[Sea urchin roe is] an expensive food and an acquired taste: you either love it or hate it. So Australians don’t really seek it out and buy it regularly,” he told Region.
“Tasmanian companies dominate the Australian market. But there’s a big demand for it worldwide, so we’ve decided to focus on export.”
In addition to his export business, Chris sells to a handful of specialty restaurants in the Sydney area. He’d like to see permission granted for commercial divers to harvest sea urchins from the protected Marine Parks around the NSW South Coast. He explained that these parks usually surround small islands, providing more weather protection for divers and serving as important sites that need to be cleared of invasive sea urchin populations.
Chef Hao loves sea urchin roe and hopes more customers will give it a try. Photo: Raku.
Canberran restaurateur and Chef Hao Chen of Raku says that he sees some customers who are curious about sea urchin, but few get the chance to develop this acquired taste, and he believes more restaurants should use the ingredient.
“Sea urchin is a unique and beautiful product. For Japanese restaurants, sea urchin is a high-end ingredient: strong umami, sweet, briny, creamy, absolutely delicious.”
Despite this glowing review, very few restaurants serve the ingredient, and those that do are mostly focused on Japanese dishes or other Asian cuisines. Why isn’t it more popular? Oysters are also an acquired taste – not to mention expensive – yet customers happily fork out for those by the dozen!
Sea Urchin Roe is usually described as having a rich, buttery texture without a particularly fishy taste, making it suitable for adding depth of flavour and an umami boost to a range of savoury dishes.
It’s likely that a lack of exposure to the ingredient and uncertainty about trying something new are holding people back.
Sea urchin roe, or ‘uni’, is included in the Raku sashimi plate (in the black bowl on the back right). Photo: Raku/Instagram.
Increasing the demand for locally harvested sea urchin will help to rehabilitate seascapes, improve ocean biodiversity, provide local jobs to divers and processors, and give gourmands a tasty treat. There’s rarely been any ingredient with such a compelling reason to put it on a plate!
Customers can ask their local fishmonger to start buying sea urchin roe, and it would be great to see the ingredient showcased on popular TV cooking shows, in food magazines and by celebrity chefs.
Chef Hao has even provided his ideal sea urchin meal: “Toast with sea urchin butter and a little caviar – best breakfast ever!”
Find out more about The Great Southern Reef Foundation.
