Long considered a threat to ocean floors, the purple urchin has found salvation by creeping into kitchens in Los Angeles.
, which devastated the sunflower sea star, a primary predator of purple urchins. Left unchecked, the purple urchins devoured kelp forests in Northern California, and have begun moving southward toward the Channel Islands and Los Angeles.closed
Biologist Doug Bush, a partner-owner in the farm, grows an array of umami-rich seaweeds to fatten the urchins up in a process called “ranching.” After 10 weeks, the zombie urchins are transformed into delicately sweet uni and delivered to restaurants like the Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurant n/naka and Malibu’s Broad Street Oyster Co.
It all starts at sunrise. Mutz and Liquornik head out to the Channel Islands to dive for red urchin, spiny lobster and the other seafood they provide to top restaurants across the state before heading to urchin barrens spotted on previous trips. Hooked up to a hookah air compressor that delivers air through a long hose, they plunge down 30 or 40 feet to pluck the purple urchin with gloved hands.
Omnivorous urchins feast on everything from seaweed to plankton in the wild, so starting with empty urchins plucked straight from the barrens provides a clean slate of flavor. Many restaurants prefer to work with packaged uni, which is processed at coastal facilities and arrives in a neat tray. Live urchin has a fresher, more vibrant flavor but requires delicate handling.
Christopher Tompkins has been using the Cultured Abalone’s purple urchin since Broad Street Oyster Co.’s early pop-up days five years ago. “I find the purple urchin to be very sweet and plump, and while the reds can be hit or miss, their consistency is on point urchin after urchin,” Tompkins says. “They come in a smaller package so we like to use them as an add-on.”
“I think everybody should try it,” says chef Niki Nakayama of the uni from purple urchin. “The sweetness, texture and even sizing is all delicious.”
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