Ingredients
Sea urchin
- 12live sea urchins
- or 300 g prepared urchin roe
- sea water or salted water, for rinsing
The dressing
- 1onion, very finely chopped
- a large handful of coriander, chopped
- juice of 3 lemons
- 2 tablespoonsolive oil
- salt and black pepper
To serve
- crusty bread
- lemon wedges
- a dry white wine
- pebre, Chilean salsa, optional
Directions
- Cut around it with strong scissors. Cut a circle right around the mouth.
- Lift the cut section right away. Tip out the dark liquid inside. Pull away the dark gut material. Lift them out with a small spoon.
- Work gently, since they break easily. Many do not rinse them at all. Chop the onion as finely as you can.
- Rinse it in cold water afterwards. That takes the harsh raw edge off it. Squeeze it dry between your hands. Chop the fresh coriander finely.
- Mix them with the lemon juice and oil. Season it with salt and black pepper.
- Use it sparingly on the urchin. The urchin flavour should still lead. Add it just before you eat them. Serving them is done immediately.
- Set the tongues on a plate or in the shell. Spoon a little dressing over them. Serve crusty bread alongside them. A dry white wine goes with them.
Technique
- The edible part is the five orange strips inside, which Chileans call lenguas or tongues, and which are the animal’s gonads.
- Chile is the world’s largest sea urchin exporter, with most of the catch going to Japan and the rest eaten fresh at the coast.
- This is raw shellfish, which carries a real risk from Vibrio bacteria that cooking would destroy, so it must come from a reliable source and be avoided by anyone who should not eat raw shellfish.
Substitutions
- Prepared urchin roe is sold in trays and saves opening the shells.
- There is no substitute for the flavour, which is specific to the animal.
Variations
- Some counters serve them in the opened shell and others on a plate.
- Erizos are also cooked into a scrambled egg dish and into empanadas.
- Machas and locos are the other Chilean shellfish eaten the same way.
History
Chile is the world’s largest sea urchin exporter; divers land them along the southern coast and they are eaten raw at market counters.
Frequently asked questions
What is Erizos?
Erizos is a main from Chile: raw sea urchin tongues eaten with chopped onion, lemon and coriander. Chile is the world’s largest sea urchin exporter; divers land them along the southern coast and they are eaten raw at market counters.
How long does Erizos take to make?
Erizos takes 30 minutes of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Erizos?
Yes, within limits. Prepared urchin roe is sold in trays and saves opening the shells. There is no substitute for the flavour, which is specific to the animal.
What is the most important thing to get right in Erizos?
Work gently, since they break easily. Many do not rinse them at all. Chop the onion as finely as you can.
