How to Eat a Sea Urchin

How to Eat a Sea Urchin

"…But answer came there none—/And this was scarcely odd, because/They'd eaten every one," wrote Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking Glass.

Urchins, those spiny little balls, are cracked open and served belly up on a platter of seaweed, usually six or a dozen at a time. To the uninitiated, they're not a pretty sight: Each black demiglobe comes with quills still…well, waving, but only slightly. Within this macabre natural bowl floats a dense puddle of (it must be said) muddy brown grit and bile-green slime. Supporting the rim with your left thumb and index finger (taking care not to impale yourself), scrape said slime to the sides with the point of your spoon. Here lies what the fuss is all about: there are six coral-pink strips of sea-perfumed stuff inside, more foam than flesh (you may have experienced a more substantial version in sushi). Scrape these gently up and spread them on a slice of baguette. Or just slide them into a spoon and bite. An ocean of milky-sweet flavor is concentrated in this rosy streak. Granted, a dozen won't make a meal, but keep the little guys company with oysters, mussels, clams, sea snails, a crock of butter, a basket of bread, and an icy bottle of Cassis.