Ingredients
Roe
- roe from about 12 white sea urchins, or 300 g
- legally harvested, in an open season
Base
- 1onion, very finely chopped
- 3spring onions
- 2 clovesgarlic
- 1 sprigthyme
- 1hot pepper, finely chopped
- 2 tbspbutter
Binder
- 100 gfresh breadcrumbs
- 1 tspblack pepper
- salt
- a squeeze of lime
To serve
- the cleaned urchin shells, or scallop shells
- breadfruit or bakes
- hot pepper sauce
Directions
- Tip out the water and the dark viscera. Rinse them very gently in cold seawater or lightly salted water. The roe is fragile and it breaks into mush if you rinse it under a tap or stir it hard.
- Pick out any fragments of shell or dark matter with tweezers. Discard any roe that is grey, slack or smells of ammonia rather than clean sea. Now scrub and boil a dozen of the shells if you intend to serve in them, which is traditional.
- Melt the butter and cook the onion, spring onion, garlic, thyme and hot pepper very gently until soft.
- Cook the aromatics soft and sweet without colouring them, because browning fights the delicate roe. Now add the roe and cook it for only 2 or 3 minutes over a low heat.
- Cook it barely at all. Sea egg roe firms and goes grainy within a minute of overcooking, and that is the one irreversible mistake here.
- Stir gently and take it off the heat while it still looks soft and glossy. Fold in the breadcrumbs, pepper, salt and a squeeze of lime.
- Taste it, and expect it to be rich, faintly sweet and strongly of the sea. Steam them for 8 to 10 minutes, or bake them briefly at 180°C. Serve them hot in the shells, with hot pepper sauce and something starchy alongside.
Technique
- Sea egg is closely associated with the parishes of St Philip, St John and St Lucy on the Atlantic coast.
- The Barbadian season, when declared, has typically been a short window in late summer or autumn.
- It is a very different preparation from Japanese uni, which is eaten raw and unadorned.
Substitutions
- There is no substitute for sea urchin roe.
- Scallop shells in place of urchin shells for serving.
Variations
- Fried as fritters rather than stuffed into shells.
- With more hot pepper, which is common.
- Served over a bake, as a sandwich.
History
Harvested off the east coast by divers in a strictly regulated season, since overfishing repeatedly closed the fishery in recent decades.
Frequently asked questions
What is Sea egg?
Sea egg is a snack from Barbados: white sea urchin roe steamed or fried, served in the shell. Harvested off the east coast by divers in a strictly regulated season, since overfishing repeatedly closed the fishery in recent decades.
How long does Sea egg take to make?
Sea egg takes 40 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Sea egg?
Yes, within limits. There is no substitute for sea urchin roe. Scallop shells in place of urchin shells for serving.
What is the most important thing to get right in Sea egg?
Pick out any fragments of shell or dark matter with tweezers. Discard any roe that is grey, slack or smells of ammonia rather than clean sea. Now scrub and boil a dozen of the shells if you intend to serve in them, which is traditional.
