[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
Sea urchin is pricey stuff, but a little goes a long way, and this dish delivers the sort of briny, mineral, sweet, and sophisticated flavor you’d typically expect to find only in a great restaurant. It’s bright and fresh, with a mild heat that cuts through the creamy richness—perfect for pairing with Champagne.
Why It Works
- Blending the sea urchin with Mexican crema or crème fraîche adds bright acidity to the sauce while helping it remain creamy.
- This recipe uses very few ingredients, instead letting the ocean aroma of the sea urchin carry it.
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 ounces fresh sea urchin (uni); see note
- 1/3 cup (80g) Mexican-style crema, or crème fraîche
- 10 ounces (300g) dried long pasta, such as spaghetti or bucatini
- Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 small shallot, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) Calabrian hot chili spread (see note)
- 1/2 cup (125ml) dry sake or dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Small handful finely minced fresh chives, for serving
Directions
- 1.
Set aside 4 tongues of sea urchin to use as garnish. Combine remaining sea urchin and crema using a blender, immersion blender, food processor, or mini chopper. Blend until completely smooth. Set aside.
- 2.
Place pasta in a 12-inch skillet or a saucepan and cover with water. Season with salt. Set over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cook until pasta is just shy of al dente and retains a small chalky core.
- 3.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and shallot and cook, stirring constantly, until softened but not browned (lower heat if the aromatics threaten to brown), about 2 minutes. Add Calabrian chili spread and stir until homogeneous. Add sake or wine and cook until liquid is reduced down to less than 2 tablespoons, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and set aside until pasta is cooked.
- 4.
When pasta is cooked, use tongs to transfer the noodles directly from the boiling water to the pan with the garlic/oil mixture. Scrape uni purée into pan and add a few ounces of starchy pasta-cooking water. Set pan over high heat and cook, stirring and swirling constantly, until the sauce comes together and develops a creamy consistency and the pasta is fully cooked, about 1 minute. Add more pasta water as necessary to thin the sauce if it over-thickens. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- 5.
Divide pasta between warmed serving bowls, drizzle each portion with more extra-virgin olive oil, garnish each with a whole sea urchin tongue, sprinkle with minced chives, and serve.
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