Speaking of sea urchins, everyone who likes Japanese food is no stranger
For people who open Japanese food shops, understanding sea urchins is also a compulsory course Today, let's talk about sea urchins!
Friendly reminder: This article has a lot of realistic content, if there is discomfort
Eat a sea urchin to calm down
sea urchin
What is it
what
Sea urchin is a class of echinoderms, a class of invertebrates that live in shallow oceans. However, we generally eat sea urchin yellow and crab yellow, the main food is the genitals, that is, the gonads of the sea urchin (hereinafter collectively referred to as sea urchin yellow), which is also the only part that can be eaten in the sea urchin, generally the sea urchin has and only 5 leaves of sea urchin yellow. The black part is the digestive tract of the sea urchin, and the contents are the excrement of the sea urchin, referred to as, which is not delicious and cannot be eaten. So the time we eat sea urchins during the breeding season is basically the same as eating hairy crabs
What kinds are there
species
Horse dung sea urchin
Horse mango sea urchin, from the family Spheriaceae Equine sea urchin genus. This is a small sea urchin with a diameter of about 3.5 cm. The spines are short and dense, yellow-brown-green shell. The shape is as bold as its name suggests. It is widely distributed from southern Hokkaido to Kyushu, japan, and is also produced on the Korean Peninsula and China. The season for horse dung sea urchin in Japan is summer. The yellow color of the sea urchin is a bright orange color with a strong fragrance.
Ezo horse dung sea urchin
Ezo horse dung sea urchin, from the bulbous sea urchin family Bulbophyllum sea urchin genus, so it is related to the different genus of the same family as the horse dung sea urchin. It looks very similar to horse dung sea urchin and is slightly larger. Ezo horse dung sea urchin is produced in Hokkaido, north of Fukushima Prefecture on the Pacific coast, and in the Japanese region north of Yamagata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan, as well as on the Korean Peninsula, northeast China, and Russia.
The seasons of Ezo horse dung sea urchins vary from region to region, so let's continue to read on. The sea urchin yellow of the Ezo horse dung sea urchin is a bright persimmon color that is characterized by a rich and sweet taste and impact, and is loved by diners in Japan.
The Japanese market calls Ezo horse dung sea urchin "red sea urchin". The sea urchin eaten on the Shiretoko Peninsula in eastern Hokkaido is known as the "Yellow Sea Urchin" and the "Red Sea Urchin", but this is actually the Ezo Horse Dung Sea Urchin, and the locals distinguish the name from the color of the sea urchin reproductive glands, "Yellow Sea Urchin" and "Red Sea Urchin" refer to the male sea urchin of the Ezo Horse Dung Sea Urchin and the sea urchin yellow of the female sea urchin. By the way, the reproductive glandular umami amino acids of male sea urchins are usually higher than those of female sea urchins, so they are theoretically more delicious.
Purple sea urchin
Purple sea urchin, from the family Sea Urchin Purple sea urchin genus, 5 to 7 cm in diameter, long spines, black purple. It is found in the area from central Honshu to Kyushu and is the most common species of sea urchin in Japan, as well as in Taiwan and southeast China (so neither sea urchins from North Korea nor Dalian are purple urchins).
Purple sea urchin is eaten in Japan from late spring to summer. The yellow color of the purple sea urchin is characterized by a sweet, light, slightly marine flavor. The color and flavor of purple sea urchins vary slightly from region to region, with purple sea urchins from western Japan being darker in color and stronger in flavor.
Northern purple sea urchin
The northern purple sea urchin, also known as the light spiny sea urchin and the Dalian purple sea urchin, comes from the family Bulbophyllaceae. Oh, did you find it? The northern purple sea urchin is not in the same family as the purple sea urchin, but is a brother of the same family as the Ezo horse dung sea urchin. The northern purple sea urchin looks very similar to the purple sea urchin, is larger than the purple sea urchin, and is about 10 cm in size. It lives on the Pacific side of Japan north of Sagami Bay, north of the Sea of Japan in Hokkaido, and is also found on the Korean Peninsula and northeastern China.
The season for northern purple sea urchin varies from region to region, as we will elaborate on below. The yellow grains of the sea urchin of the northern purple sea urchin are large and long, pale yellow, and the taste is delicate and elegant. The Japanese market also calls the northern purple sea urchin "white sea urchin"
Red sea urchin
Red sea urchin, from the family Spheroidaceae Asteraceae. It is 5 to 7 cm in diameter and the shell is reddish brown in color. It is found in the area from Tokyo Bay to Kyushu. Red sea urchin is eaten in autumn. Because the catch is decreasing year by year, it is relatively rare in the market and is a cultivar sought after by many gourmets. The sea urchin yellow of the red sea urchin is a faint golden yellow, thick and luscious. The flavor of sea urchins has a lot to do with the sea area and food in which they are located, and the red sea urchins from Iki Nagasaki are considered to be of excellent quality. Please note that this red sea urchin is not an Ezo horse dung sea urchin, but the name is the same.
Yellow sea urchin
The yellow sea urchin, which is common in Japan, is called Tsugaru sea urchin in Japan, and the origin in Japan is eastern Hokkaido. Yellow sea urchins come from the warty sea urchin family, and the above five are from the sea urchin family, so they are not of the same order, and they are much cheaper than the purple sea urchin in terms of price
Why it belongs to the high end is the ingredient
elegant
First of all, sea urchins are not suitable for artificial breeding, and they are all in the deep sea below 40 meters, which can only be fished by artificial, and the survival rate of sea urchins leaving the deep sea is not high, and sea urchin yellow is easy to dissolve. After the sea urchin is caught in the water, it is left in the air for half a day to one day, and the yellow sea urchin may become soft and deteriorate and cannot be eaten. Therefore, the sea urchins caught from the sea are either eaten immediately or placed in the seawater in the container for preservation, and are eaten and taken.
In order to ensure the safety of food, it should be noted that the sea urchin eaten raw, in addition to fresh, must also be harvested from clean and pollution-free sea areas. Therefore, the cultivation, fishing, and transportation of sea urchins are not easy, so the cost of sea urchins is very high. Usually the price of a sea urchin is around 80-150 yuan, while a sea urchin has and only 5 leaves of sea urchin yellow.
Secondly, the nutritional value is very high, and the protein contained in sea urchin yellow is composed of 17 kinds of amino acids, which is not only of good quality, but also in large quantities. Each 100 grams of sea urchin yellow contains 20 grams of protein, which is almost twice the protein content of chicken, lean pork, fish and eggs. The fat content is 7.2 grams, of which it is mainly unsaturated fatty acids and phospholipids that are beneficial to health. The sugar content is 14.9 grams. The minerals calcium and phosphorus are extremely rich, 475 and 456 mg respectively, which is much higher than that of milk.
In addition, sea urchin yellow also contains more vitaminS, vitamin D and other minerals. Chinese medicine believes that sea urchin yellow has the effect of strengthening essence, aphrodisiac, beneficial heart, strong bone, and blood tonic. Studies have shown that sea urchin yellow can reduce serum cholesterol and triglycerides in the human body, improve the body's immunity, stabilize blood pressure and prevent arteriosclerosis, therefore, has the function of preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
Eating tips, when is the best time to eat sea urchin?
Generally speaking, June to August is the best season to eat sea urchins
But different sea urchins also have different seasons
October to March is the best time to eat yellow sea urchin and april to May to taste horse dung sea urchin
June-September is a good time to eat purple sea urchins