The Culinary Capacity
Finch & Fork
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Spaghetti coated with parmigiano Reggiano sprinkled with furikake and bottarga is served in a Holly Thompson custom made ceramic bowl inspired by what uni divers see when they resurface—the Channel Islands and the coastline. A dark steel blue glaze organically meets its cream counterpart in the middle of the piece like the shore meets the land. The main attraction sits in all its bright yellow orange color atop the dish.
Executive Chef Nathan Lingle is no stranger to the purple urchin he serves tonight. A Maine native, his childhood was marked by collecting the urchins for fun, not for food. After studying in Japan, he was made aware of a sea urchin’s full potential. Now a sea urchin diver himself and a chef, he’s on a mission to combine his interests. This dish is a fruit of his labor.
Barbareño
You’ll likely find a caesar salad on the menu of any restaurant you go to. Barbareño is no exception. Yet, you won’t find any anchovy and your dressing may have a slight orange tint. The culprit of the color? Uni. “We wanted to make a caesar that was a little more Santa Barbara,” Chef Preston Knox says of the anchovy substitute. With what is widely considered the best sea urchin in the world in its own front yard and a red oak grill ready to work, Barbareño’s Uni Caesar has earned its spot on the“To Share” menu.
Grilled romaine, coated generously with a traditional dressing blend of garlic, lemon, egg yolk, mustard, cona de cabre, and its not-so traditional uni addition. This Caesar is ginished with a dusting of cona de cabre to garnish and sprinkled with cracked black pepper and sourdough croutons.
Sushi by Scratch Restaurants
The final round of Sushi by Scratch’s 17 course omakase experience is uni. Chef Sean Vaea and his skilled sous chefs, Rian Konishi and Ryan Mayo are armed with white rice as their canvas and an array of fresh seafood, housemade soy, and grated wasabi root as their mediums. They turn the Montecito sushi bar into a showcase of culinary artistry.
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Chef Vaea approaches an ice chest. Through the fog, the unmistakable golden orange hue of uni emerges. Grade A uni, intact, is meticulously arranged in a wooden encasement. With a sous chef holding seaweed paper already loaded with a bed of rice, Vaea applies a brushstroke of ponzu, places the uni delicately on top, and finishes with a dusting of matcha salt, a squeeze of lemon, and a pinch of freshly grated wasabi.
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Delivered from Japan that very day, the freshness is palpable. “Orders have to be in by 4 a.m. to arrive the next day,” Vaea says. Though this particular uni does not call the California coast its home, a course of Santa Barbara uni is in the works. The Japanese actually prefer the California species. Japanese uni and California uni have their differences. Santa Barbara urchin is often regarded as the creamier and sweeter of the two, whereas the Hokkaieo uni carries a stronger ocean brine flavor.
A Conversation with a Chef
Chef Massimo Falsini of Rosewood Miramar’s Michelin-starred Caruso’s offered his insights on his inclusion of uni on the menu.
Q: What inspired you to incorporate uni into the menu?
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A: The whole Caruso’s program is based on the relationship with the local surrounding and the community. Naturally, the SB urchin plays a central role in our menu development. Being a passionate seafood lover, urchin is an ingredient that has been in my menu since my time in Italy being an expression of Mediterraneanity.
Q: What flavor profiles accompany uni best and how did you land on a pasta based dish?
A: I love uni with rich sauce, tangy burst of citrus and light sharpness of garlic and chives. Uni is perfect with fresh tomato, garlic, basil, Calabrian chili and Tagliolini Pasta. It is also lovely with butter.
Q: What is the process of preparing the Dulse Gnocchetti Sardi & Stephanie’s Uni dish?
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A: This dish has evolved over time. I am preparing it now “Risottato” which is a technique that is based on cooking the pasta in a broth in order to preserve the moisture entirely. I am making a consommé with Hope Ranch mussels and uni. Then I cook the gnocchetti in the consommé with just the right amount of broth in order to have a al dente, yet creamy, pasta. I pair it with tender abalone and uni on top with spot prawns. I believe this dish will be the new Santa Barbara Frutti di Mare.
Q: Had you work with uni prior to coming to Santa Barbara?
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A: Everywhere, especially in Naples and in Sicily.
Q: Do you find that uni is rising in popularity in the restaurant industry?
A: I believe the popularity in US is especially due to sushi that introduced the sea urchin to the general public. In Italy, especially in the South, we have been eating urchin since the Magna Grecia, before the Roman empire.
Q: Do you have any other information regarding your use of uni at Caruso’s you think would interest the public?
A: Just toast a nice piece of sourdough with some drop of il Fustino olive oil, spread some fresh garlic on it possibly from Milliken (red desert) then a dollop of room temperature butter, and some lemon zest then place a couple of tongue of Santa Barbara uni and some chives and lemon juice. Bite. Pure heaven.