YetiDave wrote:I know urchin's served in some high end restaurants, but I'm not sure you could just go out and buy them. The ones I tried had literally just been pulled out of the sea by a couple of locals and had the bottom hacked off there and then on the beach.
In Greece you use to be able to find them quite easily by rocks near beaches, but much more difficult now. The Mediterranean ones there are two types. Both the size of a tennis ball, one jet black the other very dark brown. Ignore the black ones - they have nothing inside (well not worth the effort). The brown ones - yes yum. pull them out by hand - they are prickly but not overly so -you can pick them up with no gloves. Put them in a bucket of fresh water, let them cough their guts out for a few hours, then take them and open with scissors from their 'mouth' a small hole on the one side. Do so over a basin so you catch all the liquid which comes out (delicious), and then scrape the orange fleshy bits off the inside of the shell with a teaspoon. If you are lucky - you find a sack of roe too - keep that, it is delicious too.
Put all your takings in a shallow bowl, add lemon juice, olive oil, and some seasoning - and dip fresh crusty bread into it and eat away. So yes, you eat it raw, a bit like sashimi.
although Woo Sang supermarket in Chinatown does have them in occasionally. Red 'n' Hot is a lovely if you fancy some Szechuanese food! I'm a total Szechuan pepper addict
