
Whether you’re a sushi purist or you’ve never heard of bafununi before, there’s no denying that this unfamiliar ingredient is one of the most luxurious and sought-after foods we eat. The uni we find here in North America – mostly from California – isn’t cheap: depending on the season and current stock, prices can range anywhere from $30/pound to well over $100/pound.
The first time I bit into a piece of fresh sea urchin roe at a sushi restaurant, I was hooked for life. If you haven’t tried it yet, now is as good a time as any. Uni has an almost magical quality about it: once its creamy texture hits your tongue, all rational thought seems to evaporate.
Fresh uni is best eaten as sashimi, and pairs well with a splash of soy sauce and some freshly grated wasabi root. If you’re not much for raw seafood, try sweet uni nigiri: the egg and rice provide a nice balance to the uni’s briny flavor. Another way I like to enjoy it is served over steamed white rice – yum! As I’m writing this, I’ve got a spare box of fresh Santa Barbara uni sitting on my desk. In the past few days, it’s been shared – and enjoyed – by everyone here. Ask your fishmonger for a quarter pound or so to take home…or just go ahead and buy a whole box. It doesn’t get much fresher than this!
Once you’ve tried fresh sea urchin roe, you’ll be able to spot it in any sushi bar across the country: as its bright orange-red color fills the plate, your mouth will instantly water. That’s what we keep buying at New Day; that bright red color means that we’ve got something special –and it’s made by one of our friends, just like all the seafood we carry here at New Day.
Our friends at Santa Barbara Shellfish Company catch their uni off the pristine coastlines of Baja, California. The season for sea urchin from that area is from December to March.
It’s been a while since I’ve gone fishing in Baja, but when I was living there, saltwater fishing trips were one of my favorite activities. In addition to harvesting sea urchins by hand, our friends also catch leopard sharks and tuna…as well as lots of other delicious creatures!
When the weather gets chilly here in Boston, I love to think back on surfing those crystal clear blue waters. The memories are still as vivid as ever…and now that I’m devouring fresh sea urchin roe once more, it’s like being there all over again.
For most of us who live on the East Coast, uni is something we can only dream about – or must settle for if we order our sushi online. Today might be your lucky day: buy some unifrom Soshinsen and share it with friends! More than anything else you could eat today, uni is an experience worth sharing …which means ”you should get uni.”
So if you’ve never tried bafununi before, do yourself a favor and get some today: you’ll quickly see why so many sushi fans go crazy for this stuff!