A friend introduced me to heaven today…Smorgasburg in Downtown Los Angeles. I wish I had a big enough stomach to fit all this wonderful food. I had to choose wisely since I was only going to fit a few items down the gullet.
There it was, I saw someone pass by with a huge sea urchin on their plate, gold meat just seating inside a giant shell. Off to Jolly Oyster! $15 per Santa Barbara Sea Urchin freshly cracked. They remove the membranes and have it ready to serve. Now I didn’t realize the spines would still be moving, I instantly felt some guilt thinking this animal was being tortured. However, I later found out that it’s common for the body to move even after it has died, and with a lack of a central nervous system, it is unaware of the pain.
Immediately I noticed the saltier flavor of this Urchin, it’s the salt water taste which doesn’t last long because it is immediately followed by the creamy uní flavor that coats the tongue. It’s probably one of the hardest food flavors for me to describe. Since there is not a lot of “meat” in the shell, it forces me to take my time and savor since the experience will end after a couple of bites. Thank you succulent Sea Urchin for feeding me so wonderfully today…
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