Introducing the extraordinary Red Sea Urchin from UniFresco—a premium, all-natural product. Sourced from the Pacific Giant Red Sea urchin, renowned for being the world's largest and most delectably sweet, this sea urchin is immersed in pristine Salish Sea water.
UniFresco takes pride in delivering a product free from preservatives, chemical dyes, bleaching agents, or water control chemicals. Harvested with precision by specially trained divers, the Pacific Urchin Harvesters Association ensures minimal impact on the delicate marine environment while supporting coastal communities.
Within a day of collection, the live sea urchins journey from the fishing grounds to Vancouver. The sea urchins are skillfully cracked open at a Canadian Government inspected facility, revealing the precious Uni. Thoroughly cleaned and washed in pure Salish Sea water—filtered and treated with UV light—the Urchin is then carefully packed into specially designed trays, sealed and pasteurised.
This Uni is packed in trays filled with seawater. It is then rapidly frozen to maintain its quality. When we receive it, it's still frozen as it is sent to us through specialised supply chains. We then send it to you with the expectation that it will thaw during transit. Unfortunately, we can't use the same specialised chain for individual residential deliveries, and due to its packaging and nature, it's challenging to keep it frozen otherwise. Therefore, if not completely frozen, it should be treated as a fresh product upon arrival. Its shelf life will be five days.
The Uni transforms into a less solid state after defrosting. This contrasts with the firmer Uni often found in wooden boxes in Japanese markets. The moisture content makes it ideal for incorporation into sauces and butter, particularly for crafting the exquisite Uni Pasta outlined below, but not so suitable for sashimi. When eaten alone, it has a briny, mineral, sweet, and intense ocean flavour. In the context of pasta, the Uni contributes to a wonderfully creamy texture, where the briny notes persist but are skillfully balanced by the inclusion of wine, garlic, onions, and chilli.
Four to eight tongues per person are advised, so one of our 85g packs works for two people. We recommend using linguine pasta.
To make the pasta, begin by cooking diced shallots and garlic in unsalted butter and a bit of oil to prevent burning. If you want a spicy kick, add fresh or dry chilli to the mix. Once the onions and garlic are translucent, pour in a glug of white wine. Cook the pasta until it's just under al dente. Reserve some of the pasta water for later use. When the onions, garlic, and chilli have cooked down, add some of the pasta water to the pan. Then, drain the pasta and add it to the pan while it's still hot. Add a little pasta water to the uni and break it down with a fork. Add the broken-down uni to the pan and coat the pasta well with it.
The pasta water is the secret ingredient. It contains starches rinsed off the pasta while it is cooked, allowing it to thicken and emulsify sauces without affecting the flavour. This is especially helpful when trying to preserve the briny taste of the Uni. While some recipes suggest using cream, we found that keeping it simple helped to showcase the flavour of the Uni.
Finally, garnish with fresh herbs such as chives, and add some raw uni if you wish.
Origin: Canada
