An easy sea urchin recipe
This Uni Toast recipe is super easy so I thought I would tell you a little about my favorite fish market, where I purchased the fresh uni. If you find yourself in the beautiful coastal city of Portland, Maine, you have to visit the Harbor Fish Market. This is cold water seafood at it’s best and even if you don’t like seafood, I bet you’ll find something here you do like (they sell Rosemont Market’s french bread baguettes at the counter) If you are a seafood lover, well then…you just walked through the gates of heaven.
Portland is one of my favorite cities because:
- It’s on the water
- It’s a fantastic walkable city
- It has some of the best farm-to-table restaurants around
- It has numerous top breweries nearby
- It has the Harbor Fish Market
With all that Portland has to offer, the Harbor Fish Market is pretty much the main reason why I go visit. Yeah, it’s all that or so much more. Their selection of oysters is astounding, the scallops are the size of your hand, and the fish is unbelievably fresh. Like, right outta the water fresh. Most everything is local to Maine or the New England area and is labeled with the point of origin so you know exactly what you are getting.
Oysters galore!!! We are huge oyster lovers so this is the frosting on the cake for us.
At home, enjoying one of the oysters with with a homemade mignonette (red wine vinegar and shallots)
Wild Atlantic salt cod and it makes the most unbelievably tasty fritters!
Huge scallop on the left (yes, that’s my hand, not a child’s) and fresh raw tuna on the right. If all these pictures haven’t convinced you at this point that this place is the best fish market ever, then it never will.
What is uni?
The day we visited, the market had fresh uni (the Japanese name for sea urchin). I’ve bought it here before in the shell but this time, it was already shelled and ready to eat. Winning!
Uni has a firm texture and is normally served raw. Bite into it and it’s smooth and creamy with a sweet, slightly briny flavor. I love it. I ate at least half of the uni raw and decided to make a butter out of the rest so I could slather it on toasted slices of the Rosemont french bread. YUM!
See the pieces of uni in the butter? That’s good because the uni will just melt into the bread.
Uni butter is simple and easy to make: basically you take butter, fresh uni, and a touch of sea salt. Keep it covered in the refrigerator and use it in place of regular butter over the next– days. Use it for scrambled eggs, stir it into sautéed veggies, top a grilled steak or seafood, add a tablespoon to cooked pasta/rice/mashed potatoes, or just make some good ol’ bread and butter or in this case…uni toast.
Ain’t nobody got time for counting calories when eating bread, so be generous with the uni butter, my friends.
Uni makes toast better. I know it’s a little weird but sometimes you have to try new and strange ingredients. Also, the uni butter can be frozen, so you don’t have to eat it all at once and you have 3 months to try it out on other foods.
If you have a chance to pick up some fresh uni, try making some butter and this delicious Uni Toast. Next time you are in Portland Maine, don’t forget to visit the Harbor Fish Market or seek out the best fish market in your area!
- 1/2 cup unsalted grass-fed butter, softened
- 1/4 cup of fresh uni (sea urchin)
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon Tabasco
- 1 french bread baguette, cut into 1" slices
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives, minced (optional)
Preheat oven broiler.
- In a small bowl, mix together the softened butter, uni, lemon juice, sea salt, and Tabasco. Spread butter generously on the bread slices and broil until lightly brown (about 1-2 minutes). Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately.
- Makes 1/2 cup.
- Leftover uni butter can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap tightly in freezer proof plastic wrap or freezer storage bag.
This place sounds like HEAVEN… that scallop! My jaw literally dropped!!
Very intrigued by this uni butter… I have my doubts that I’ll be able to find any uni here, but I’ll keep my eyes peeled!
Girl, I loves me some butta! And then with the uni! I’m in food heaven! Everything looks so good. That scallop is HUGE! Holy moly! You know that Atlantic Salt Cod? Now you are talking my language. Babies are pretty much feed that after being born in these parts. Ok, not really, but salt cod is EVERYWHERE! Have you ever heard of fish-n-brewis? It’s a traditional dish around here with salt cod, potato and fried onion with bits of pork fat. I usually have it once a year and it’s deadly. ‘Ain’t nobody got time for counting calories when eating bread’….story of my life. Ain’t that the truth. Love it! All I need now is a big hunk of that uni toast, a big glass of vino and I’m a happy girl! XO
Karrie!! OMG how gorgeous that scallop is!! almost the size of your palm!! yikes! I love uni, and this uni toast seems soo good!! Well done my darling!
What a beautiful fish market! Wish we had one like that in Edmonton! Love sea urchin and always order it at the best Japanese Restaurants where I’m sure it’s super fresh. Your uni butter sounds heavenly and the uni toast divine! Bring it On!
Oh my goodness – this looks incredible! I’ve never had uni, but you’ve got me drooling over this. What a genius idea to turn it into a butter!
Whoa! I wish I was closer to Maine to be getting me some of those ginormous scallops! That bread is toasted beautifully! I’ve never had sea urchin/uni butter but you sure make it sound fantastic! 🙂
I think you know I’m a huge seafood lover, so clearly I NEED to schedule a trip to Portland, Maine immediately! I always get a little shifty eyed when someone calls anything ‘the best’, but the Harbor Fish Market honestly looks like the best fish market ever!! I could LIVE in that place… for realz! <3 Uni toast is genius, girlfriend, not to mention this looks craaaazy delicious! Totally worth every single calorie if you ask me! I don't have a kick arse fish market, so be a doll and send some of this my way. 😉 Cheers, sweets! xo
I can attest the fresh squid statement, I’ve caught squid and cooked it right away and it is the best! I’ve never tried sea urchin before but the idea of uni butter on toast is pure genius.
Omg, omg, omg!!!! I am in love! Seriously, I think my heart skipped a beat when I read the title! Uni is one of my all-time favorite foods – tastes like butta! Creating an uni butter for toast is pure genius! I HAVE TO try this! You just made my week girlfriend! xoxo!
This place sounds amazing. Your bread toast looks so beautiful and delicious! Will try this soon.
That fish market sounds ah-mazing, Karrie. I am so much in love with this place. I have never had uni toast before, but I can tell that tastes wonderful. I will have to try it soon. 🙂
I’m your best ever friend. Best. Ever. Best.
I never thought I’d be interested in trying uni..but you’ve convinced me! It’ll try anything on toast! Great post! Love the photos and I can’t believe the size of that scallop!
lol, i just came home from portland with my haul from harbor fish mkt, possibly my favorite place to visit besides disney. planning a dinner for friends tonight and googled “uni toast” and it brought me to this post. so new england! fish on!!
Are you my sister? lol! Love that you love Harbor Fish Market (and Disney) as much as I do! Hope you had a fantastic dinner party and enjoyed the uni toast. Thanks so much for commenting on my post too Sara. GO NEW ENGLAND!!!