Ever eaten a sea urchin? Find out why the French love them, fresh from the Mediterranean.
One of my favorite people in France is Nancy McGee, a good friend from Sete and contributor to the Barefoot Blogger website.ย She knows firsthand about the south of France, its foods, places and customs. Thanks to Nancy, we’ve enjoyed reading about two of France’s favorite foods — cheese and oysters. Now it’s time to learn about sea urchins. Yes, those spiny creatures that you step on while wading in the Mediterranean if you’re not careful.
Would you believe they’re edible? Read on and find out more.
SEA URCHINS: A REVELATION
My story – Nancy McGee
What makes one fall in love with the south of France? Is it the lifestyle, climate, food, wine…? For me, it was all of the above – plus my future husband, a young medical student. Thirty years ago, rather than return home to Canada after a one-year work assignment, I readily exchanged the arctic climate of Quebec for endless days of sunshine. My husband and I spent our summers in his hometown of Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. I have many happy memories of those leisurely days spent on the beach, swimming, sunbathing, and discovering many culinary gems of this Mediterranean island. However, it wasnโt until much later that I learned to appreciate the most highly prized of all: the sea urchin.
In Corsica, where this bounty from the sea is almost revered, summer beach parties centered around the thorny creatures are a popular tradition. The young men dive for the urchins and return to the beach bearing sacks full of treasure. Beach towels are spread out, bottles of wine are opened – and the sea urchins are slit and eaten on the spot. Fresh from Canada, I was quite taken aback by the โprimitiveโ nature of this event. As far as I was concerned, sea urchins were something to be cursed, especially if one had the bad luck to step on one! But to eat them raw and live? It was simply out of the question!
I graciously refused the kind offers to join the feast but have since made up for lost time!
Originally called ‘sea hedgehog’ for obvious reasons, the sea urchin has been a much-maligned creature along with its cousins like the sea cucumber, sea star, and sand dollar. The very name suggests ragged, scavenging youngsters out of the pages of Charles Dickens. (And indeed, the species – echinoidea – does scavenge the ocean floor.) In 19th century Newfoundland they were disdainfully referred to as ‘whore’s eggs’, yet they were considered delicacies in the days of Pompeii. The philosopher Aristotle studied them long and hard. In his book The History of Animals, he described their ‘mouth’ (center) as a horn lantern, known as ‘Aristotle’s Lantern“. It is capable of drilling through rocks!
The โrevelationโ for me came around five years ago when a friend in the colorful Mediterranean port of Sรจte, now my home, invited me to a New Yearโs Eve party. As the guests sipped aperitifs, a huge seafood platter was presented, and we were asked to serve ourselves. I donโt know if it was the excitement of the New Year or a little too much bubbly, but I spontaneously took hold of a sea urchin, scooped out the small bright orange sections – and cautiously took a bite.
Never could I have imagined such a delicious and delicate sweetness. I felt like a princess (the word primitive was instantly erased from my vocabulary) as I explored the shell in search of a small bite of this newly discovered treasure. It took me back to the beach parties and the young men offering unlimited quantities of sea urchins. It made me realize how much I had missed and how silly I had been to refuse to taste this fabulous seafood.
A FESTIVAL TO CELEBRATE THE SEA URCHIN
The south of France offers a variety of festivals, mainly during the summer, which draw hoards of visitors and tourists to the Mediterranean coast.
One of my favorites is the Sea Urchin Festival in March, or ‘oursinade’ which is unique to Sete. Over 20,000 sea urchins are served in the main square over the weekend. Just 5 euros buys a glass of local Picpoul white wine and a dish of raw sea urchins, which are generally accompanied with slices of fresh baguettes and butter.
The urchins are hand-picked by divers in the neighboring lagoon by the Mediterranean and sold in the local markets for approximately 4 euros per dozen.
At first glance, sea urchins do not appear particularly appealing, but they are comparable to oysters for delivering a fresh, straight-from-the-sea flavor. Often described as tasting like the sea without being fishy, they have a โcreamy ocean, slightly sweet flavor.โ Rich in vitamin C and vitamin A, they are a good source of protein. (Also rumored to be an aphrodisiac, but thatโs another storyโฆ)
If you plan to travel to the Mediterranean coast, sea urchins are not available in the summer (from May to October). It is the reproduction season, and laws have been instated to protect the species.
Recipes
Scrambled eggs with sea urchin
Ingredients
8 eggs, 12 sea urchins, 2 spoons of butter, salt and pepper
Open sea urchins and retrieve the ยซ coral ยป,
Beat eggs, add salt and pepper.
In a double boiler, first melt t 1 teaspoon? spoon of butter. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can easily place a light, non-plastic bowl set over a pot of lightly steaming boiling/simmering? water
Add eggs and stir with a wooden spoon until the eggs become creamy
In a saucepan, melt 1 spoon teaspoon? of butter and add the sea urchin coral coral wasn’t explained, heat for 1 minute
Pour over the scrambled eggs and serve
As legend would have it...
- Fossil sea urchins were thought to be stones that had fallen from the sky during a storm.
- The druids thought that sea urchins were eggs of snakes.
- Sea urchins “Eurhodia”, found in abundance, are calledย ” lucky stones ” in Jamaica.
And the facts…
- The sea urchin first appeared five million years ago, and more than 200 species of sea urchin populate waters around the world.
- In the south of England, fossil sea urchins are placed on the racks of the dairies to prevent milk from turning.
- They are believed to be strong aphrodisiacs.
- Sea urchins prefer rocks to the ocean floor because their tentacles can cling to rocks.
- Sea urchins do not have a brain.
