Sea urchin
Echinoidea
Not Kosher
Description
The gonads, known as uni, are a delicacy served raw as sushi or sashimi with soy and wasabi, eaten with lemon in the Mediterranean, and stuffed with rice in Philippine dishes. Japan eats about 50,000 tons a year.
Sea urchins live in every ocean and climate, from the tropics to the poles. They sit on the sea bottom from rocky shores and tide pools down to the deepest trenches, as far as 6,850 meters.
Also known as
- Uni
- Sea egg
Sea urchin in foreign languages
| Scientific | Echinoidea |
| Hebrew | קיפודי ים |
| Arabic | قنفذ البحر |
| Spanish | equinoideos |
| Portuguese | Bolacha da praia |
| French | Chataigne de mer |
| Italian | echinoide |
| German | Seeigel |
| Greek | Αχινός |
| Russian | Морские ежи |
| Turkish | Denizkestanesi |
| Chinese | 海膽 |
| Japanese | ウニ |
| Korean | 성게류 |
| Hindi | जलसाही |
| Vietnamese | Cầu gai |
| Thai | เม่นทะเล |
Warnings & Kosher Issues
- An echinoderm with no fins or scales, so it is not kosher. The roe served as uni is not kosher either.
- The spines can be venomous in some species and cause puncture wounds or infection.