LA Weekly: California Uni Is Having Its Moment in the Sun
The spiny California sea urchin has busted out of the sushi bar and is having its moment on just about every menu in Los Angeles right now, in everything from uni jam to uni ice cream. It’s in pasta, zeppole, Mexican food, pajeon (Korean scallion pancake) and at the farmers market.
Why the urchin explosion? Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands produce some of the best in the world and have become ground zero for the briny roe that’s finding its way into every chef’s imagination. Good roe has a brightness to it and tastes like the breath you take just before diving under a wave.