The great Provençal classic: purple sea urchins opened raw and served with their roe, accompanied by toasted bread and salted butter.
Ingredients
- 24 pieces purple sea urchins (Paracentrotus lividus), live, preferably caught that day
- 4 slices country bread (thick slices of 1,5 cm)
- 150 g salted butter (such as Le Beurre Bordier or equivalent artisan butter)
Method
- Choose live, heavy sea urchins with no ammonia smell. Keep them refrigerated (4 °C) in a damp cloth until serving.
- Prepare the bread: cut country bread into thick slices (1,5 cm). Toast them in the oven (broiler setting, 230 °C) or in a toaster until golden and crisp on both sides. Set aside at room temperature.
- Open the sea urchins: wear thick gloves to protect yourself from the spines. Turn each sea urchin over and locate the mouth (the central area, with a lighter membrane). Using sturdy kitchen shears, cut a circle about 3 cm in diameter around the mouth. Carefully lift off the lid (test) and discard the seawater inside.
- Using a small spoon (a teaspoon or snail spoon), gently scoop out the orange, yellow, or beige strips of roe (gonads). Place them on a plate without piercing them. Also remove any inedible brown membranes. Repeat for all the sea urchins.
- Arrange the opened sea urchins (or just the roe) on a bed of crushed ice or directly on a plate. Serve immediately with the toasted bread and salted butter at room temperature. Each diner spreads butter on their bread and places a strip of roe on top, or enjoys the roe alone with a dab of butter.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 397.8 kcal
- Protein
- 6.53 g
- Carbohydrate
- 18.33 g
- Fat
- 32.68 g
- Fibre
- 1.51 g
- Calcium
- 14.73 mg
- Iron
- 0.57 mg
- Magnesium
- 13.4 mg
