I did not realize that there were five lobes inside each urchin - I
looked this up because all the uni in the package I bought were at least
connected to one other lobe. Most still have milt or roe in them. I
was wondering if one should remove that and there is also a tendril that
connects the lobes that I have removed from the ones I've made so far
because it is dark colored and ruins the presentation. Do you really
have to rinse the uni before preparing it? That sounds to me like
washing mushrooms - you'll lose a lot of flavor. The way I've fixed
them so far is to cut a thin piece of Japanese cucumber put a tiny dab
of wasabi on it, put one uni lobe on top of that, garnish the top with
some thinly sliced negi, and put a drop of shoyu on top of that.

Howard Johnson wrote:

I did not realize that there were five lobes inside each urchin - I
looked this up because all the uni in the package I bought were at least
connected to one other lobe. Most still have milt or roe in them. I
was wondering if one should remove that and there is also a tendril that
connects the lobes that I have removed from the ones I've made so far
because it is dark colored and ruins the presentation. Do you really
have to rinse the uni before preparing it? That sounds to me like
washing mushrooms - you'll lose a lot of flavor. The way I've fixed
them so far is to cut a thin piece of Japanese cucumber put a tiny dab
of wasabi on it, put one uni lobe on top of that, garnish the top with
some thinly sliced negi, and put a drop of shoyu on top of that.

How does washing mushrooms loose flavor? I always wash off the dirt
from mushrooms. The cucumber uni sounds good. That would make a nice
appetizer for a party.

--
Dan

Dan Logcher wrote:
Howard Johnson wrote:
[ . . . ]
How does washing mushrooms lose flavor? I always wash off the dirt
from mushrooms. The cucumber uni sounds good. That would make a nice
appetizer for a party.

A quick rinse probably wouldn't hurt, although I wouldn't wash the gills.
Mushrooms will absorb moisture and get soggy if over-washed. We just wipe
off any dirt with a damp cloth. Other than the texture, I've never noticed
any flavor loss from washing.

--
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wrote:
Dan Logcher wrote:
Howard Johnson wrote:
[ . . . ]
How does washing mushrooms lose flavor? I always wash off the dirt
from mushrooms. The cucumber uni sounds good. That would make a nice
appetizer for a party.

A quick rinse probably wouldn't hurt, although I wouldn't wash the gills.
Mushrooms will absorb moisture and get soggy if over-washed. We just wipe
off any dirt with a damp cloth. Other than the texture, I've never noticed
any flavor loss from washing.

Alton Brown did an experiment on his HGTV show "Good Eats" and debunked
the "mushrooms soak up water" theory.

wrote:

Dan Logcher wrote:

Howard Johnson wrote:
[ . . . ]
How does washing mushrooms lose flavor? I always wash off the dirt
from mushrooms. The cucumber uni sounds good. That would make a nice
appetizer for a party.


A quick rinse probably wouldn't hurt, although I wouldn't wash the gills.
Mushrooms will absorb moisture and get soggy if over-washed. We just wipe
off any dirt with a damp cloth. Other than the texture, I've never noticed
any flavor loss from washing.

Right, I keep them whole till I've rinsed off the dirt and immediately dry
with a paper towel. If I happen to get some water in teh gills, I shake it
out as much as possible.

--
Dan

When I used to eat the fresh Maine uni "straight from the shell", i
found it best to briefly dip the lobes in cold water to clean them off.
Rinsing them under running water diluted the flavor and broke them up.

Howard Johnson wrote:
I did not realize that there were five lobes inside each urchin - I
looked this up because all the uni in the package I bought were at least
connected to one other lobe. Most still have milt or roe in them. I
was wondering if one should remove that and there is also a tendril that
connects the lobes that I have removed from the ones I've made so far
because it is dark colored and ruins the presentation. Do you really
have to rinse the uni before preparing it? That sounds to me like
washing mushrooms - you'll lose a lot of flavor. The way I've fixed
them so far is to cut a thin piece of Japanese cucumber put a tiny dab
of wasabi on it, put one uni lobe on top of that, garnish the top with
some thinly sliced negi, and put a drop of shoyu on top of that.
First the mushrooms, I use a small soft brush to clean mushrooms, be
they store bought or foraged (which I do.) Debunked or not, a dry, clean
mushroom will take a little water into the gills via capillary action.
That bit of water will 'wash' out the flavor and some mushrooms are more
susceptible than others. Think of not spinning the water off the lettuce
and making a salad with that.

Now the uni. All salt water animals contain sea water, duh. So if you
must rinse them at all, do it with sea water. If you can't use sea
water, then mix at least a tablespoon of salt (preferably iodized and/or
sea salt) in a gallon or less of sea water and rinse quickly. If you
still must use fresh water to rinse with, you will draw some 'sea water'
from the animal/vegetable and it will be replaced with the fresh water,
again 'washing' out the flavor.

We have a local channel here in downeast Maine where they have been
highlighting the Green Urchin, Strongylocentrotus drobachiensis,
hatchery that somebody set up. Also, showed an urchin auction. The
auction amounts to a box truck parked down at a convenient spot where
the fishermen meet with the buyers. Prices were noted at $2.25/lb. with
an expected rate of 10 to 25% with gametes/uni. One of the divers just
popped the mouth side of the urchin open and shook the uni into his palm
and sucked it right out of his hand. So, rinsing is optional.
Personally, I would rinse the urchin and never the roe.

And NEVER, EVER rinse with fresh water.

More later in an upcoming book, "But What the *uck Do I Know?"

--

XX: Buddy

Thanks for the urchin info.

Mushrooms take longer to cook with the added water, and they are already
difficult enough to cook correctly without steaming and stewing them in
their own juices. It takes a really hot pan and a lot of flipping.

I wondered about the uni because I read that the uni are the only part
of urchins that are edible. I didn't know if that meant other parts of
the urchins were poisonous and so you should rinse off the internal body
fluids of the urchin from the roe before you eat them.



Buddy wrote:
Howard Johnson wrote:
I did not realize that there were five lobes inside each urchin - I
looked this up because all the uni in the package I bought were at
least connected to one other lobe. Most still have milt or roe in
them. I was wondering if one should remove that and there is also a
tendril that connects the lobes that I have removed from the ones I've
made so far because it is dark colored and ruins the presentation. Do
you really have to rinse the uni before preparing it? That sounds to
me like washing mushrooms - you'll lose a lot of flavor. The way I've
fixed them so far is to cut a thin piece of Japanese cucumber put a
tiny dab of wasabi on it, put one uni lobe on top of that, garnish the
top with some thinly sliced negi, and put a drop of shoyu on top of that.
First the mushrooms, I use a small soft brush to clean mushrooms, be
they store bought or foraged (which I do.) Debunked or not, a dry, clean
mushroom will take a little water into the gills via capillary action.
That bit of water will 'wash' out the flavor and some mushrooms are more
susceptible than others. Think of not spinning the water off the lettuce
and making a salad with that.

Now the uni. All salt water animals contain sea water, duh. So if you
must rinse them at all, do it with sea water. If you can't use sea
water, then mix at least a tablespoon of salt (preferably iodized and/or
sea salt) in a gallon or less of sea water and rinse quickly. If you
still must use fresh water to rinse with, you will draw some 'sea water'
from the animal/vegetable and it will be replaced with the fresh water,
again 'washing' out the flavor.

We have a local channel here in downeast Maine where they have been
highlighting the Green Urchin, Strongylocentrotus drobachiensis,
hatchery that somebody set up. Also, showed an urchin auction. The
auction amounts to a box truck parked down at a convenient spot where
the fishermen meet with the buyers. Prices were noted at $2.25/lb. with
an expected rate of 10 to 25% with gametes/uni. One of the divers just
popped the mouth side of the urchin open and shook the uni into his palm
and sucked it right out of his hand. So, rinsing is optional.
Personally, I would rinse the urchin and never the roe.

And NEVER, EVER rinse with fresh water.

More later in an upcoming book, "But What the *uck Do I Know?"

They are all gone - made some nigiri of surf clams and the remaining
three uni tonight. Have to wait until next Saturday morning to get more
- they come in on Friday night in bulk and the grocery repacks them in
plastic wrap around a typical styrofoam tray. There are 12 lobes for
$10 - pretty good deal! They sell out of the 12 packages they put out
each weekend by Sunday evening! I guess folks know a good deal when
they see one.

Howard Johnson wrote:
They are all gone - made some nigiri of surf clams and the remaining
three uni tonight. Have to wait until next Saturday morning to get more
- they come in on Friday night in bulk and the grocery repacks them in
plastic wrap around a typical styrofoam tray. There are 12 lobes for
$10 - pretty good deal! They sell out of the 12 packages they put out
each weekend by Sunday evening! I guess folks know a good deal when
they see one.
Seems to be a fave with lots of folks. I never heard anything about
poison parts and I think I would have by now. All I've heard is that the
spines can cause a nasty infection, especially if you break a bit off
inside you.

--

XX: Buddy