• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Norecipes - Elevating Everyday Meals

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Ingredients
  • Cuisine
  • Type
  • Start Here
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Ingredients
    • Cuisine
    • Type
    • Start Here
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Uncategorized

    Updated: Jul 28, 2019 by Marc Matsumoto · 50 Comments

    Sea Urchin Ceviche

    This Japanese-Peruvian inspired ceviche includes sea urchin on a bed of crispy vegetables, dressed in a tangy lime dressing.
    Recipe Pin

    It's the middle of November here in New York, and we're still having springtime weather. This warm-blooded California boy isn't complaining, but it's a little disconcerting, especially with predictions of the end of the world only a few years away. I was thinking I may have to hang onto this post until next summer, but if the Mayans were right, you might want to try this sooner rather than later.

    For those that have never had it, uni, is the orange reproductive organs of the spiny sea urchin. I know, it doesn't sound appealing at all, but it's sweet, rich, and creamy, melting on your tongue into a briny pool of heaven. It's so rich in fact, that I usually have a hard time eating more than a few pieces -- far fewer than the dozen and a half or so pieces that come in one flat.

    That's why I came up with this preparation. The citrusy tang cuts through the richness of the sea urchin, while the crispy salad of veggies benefit from the creamy sweetness imparted by the golden swaths of uni.

    While many recipes call for seeding tomatoes, the little gelatinous sacs around the seeds is where most of the umami containing compounds in the tomato are, so by tossing the seeds, you're also parting with a lot of flavour. Plus, I love the the slippery texture of the sacs that do a convincing impression of caviar.

    Have fun with the veggies you use, in the photo above, I used clear seaweed noodles instead of sea beans, and I've even toyed with the idea of using unripe fruit. Whatever you do, make sure you use produce that can hold up to the acidic dressing without wilting or getting soggy. Sweet peppers, cucumbers, and sunchokes are all great additions and if green shiso is hard to find in your area, try going with other herbs like fresh basil or mint.

    📖 Recipe

    Sea Urchin Ceviche

    4.17 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Discuss
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Yield 2 servings

    Units

    Ingredients 

    • 1 flat uni (sea urchin)
    • 2 tomatoes ripe
    • ¼ small red onion (cut into brunoise,⅛" cubes)
    • ¼ small jicama (cut into brunoise, ⅛" cubes)
    • 1 serrano chile (minced)
    • 2 ounces sea beans
    • 6 leaves green shiso (minced)
    • ¼ cups lime juice
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ground black pepper (to taste)

    Instructions

    • To prepare the tomatoes, quarter them and use your fingers to scape out the seeds into a bowl and set aside. Cut the tomatoes into a small dice (¼" cubes), and add them to a non-reactive bowl along with the red onion, jicama, chile, sea beans and shiso. Refrigerate ready to serve.
    • To serve just whisk the lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper together and pour over the vegetables. Toss gently to coat then plate individual servings, topping with a generous helping of sea urchin and the reserved tomato seeds.
    Recipes in your inboxDon't miss out SIGN UP!

    More Appetizers

    • Ikura don with homemade ikura (salmon roe) on a hot bowl of rice.
      How to Make Ikura
    • Homemade seaweed salad with a nutritious blend of Japanese seaweed and crunchy cucumbers, just like at sushi restaurants.
      Seaweed Salad (Wakame Salad)
    • A wider shot of traditional Japanese Hiyayakko or cold tofu salad. In the background are two alternative versions - kimchi natto and Caprese Salad.
      Hiyayakko (Cold Tofu Salad)
    • These Japanese gyoza highlight the tantalizing interplay between the crisp pan-fried wrapper and blissfully juicy pork and cabbage filling.
      Best Japanese Gyoza

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Mel says

      November 22, 2009 at 4:34 am

      I believe the first post I ever commented on here is your uni pasta. I. Heart. Uni. This looks amazing. Refreshing, vibrant, and indulgent. Great job, Marc.

      Reply
    2. Mel says

      November 22, 2009 at 8:34 am

      I believe the first post I ever commented on here is your uni pasta. I. Heart. Uni. This looks amazing. Refreshing, vibrant, and indulgent. Great job, Marc.

      Reply
    3. We Are Never Full says

      November 22, 2009 at 9:13 pm

      ahhhh uni... i love thee. let me count the ways. this looks clean and refreshing. and very healthy to boot (plus all those textures in one dish!) - awesome.

      Reply
    4. katiek says

      November 22, 2009 at 10:27 pm

      i love fresh uni - right out of the shell. they shrink up when poeple add albumen and package them in flats. i love this refreshing toast to the sea.

      Reply
    5. We Are Never Full says

      November 23, 2009 at 1:13 am

      ahhhh uni... i love thee. let me count the ways. this looks clean and refreshing. and very healthy to boot (plus all those textures in one dish!) - awesome.

      Reply
    6. katiek says

      November 23, 2009 at 2:27 am

      i love fresh uni - right out of the shell. they shrink up when poeple add albumen and package them in flats. i love this refreshing toast to the sea.

      Reply
    7. Lori Lynn says

      November 28, 2009 at 10:08 pm

      This is absolutely genius Marc! I am a big fan of uni, it has such a sexy taste.
      Bravo on this one!
      LL

      Reply
    8. Lori Lynn says

      November 29, 2009 at 2:08 am

      This is absolutely genius Marc! I am a big fan of uni, it has such a sexy taste.
      Bravo on this one!
      LL

      Reply
    9. Psycho says

      April 09, 2011 at 6:26 pm

      No can do, got an 8.30 "res" at Dorsia - great sea urchin ceviche!

      Reply
    10. Kon_artis_420 says

      June 02, 2011 at 6:57 am

      I once had reservations at Dorsia and ordered this.  Simple to die for!

      Reply
    11. B haze says

      June 17, 2011 at 3:34 am

      Not very good, you want a good ceviche recipe let me know.

      Reply
    12. Alfok says

      December 11, 2011 at 1:25 pm

      I got a res in Dorsia and I wanna taste it for today

      Reply
    13. itconflict says

      January 01, 2012 at 9:21 pm

      How does one get a res at Dorsia? I hear they have great sea urchin civiche.

      Reply
    14. itconflict says

      January 02, 2012 at 1:21 am

      How does one get a res at Dorsia? I hear they have great sea urchin civiche.

      Reply
    15. Irene taste says

      May 16, 2012 at 11:15 pm

      here in the Philippines you can have a bucket of fresh Uni or "Suwaki"( in our dialect) for only 2-3 dollars...We gather up around the shore to eat it with rice. We lived an island so the setting and the Uni i must say is heavenly!

      I am happy to know about this recipe, i will try this at home coz its deliciously BRILLIANT!!!

      Reply
    16. Marc Matsumoto says

      May 17, 2012 at 4:01 am

      Wow that must be nice! It costs about $20 a for a small flat here.

      Reply
    17. TyrantInShorts says

      October 04, 2012 at 12:26 am

      Eggshell with romalian type.. what do you think?

      Reply
    18. Krazy says

      December 28, 2012 at 1:24 pm

      Paul Allen said it was a great dish.

      Reply
    19. arrow2010 says

      July 26, 2013 at 1:34 pm

      I'm here because of American Psycho.

      Reply
    20. Patrick Bateman says

      February 10, 2022 at 11:28 pm

      After finally getting a reservation at Dorsia I was able to try this dish. It was impressive, very nice.

      Reply
    « Older Comments

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Marc Matsumoto, a retired chef living in Tokyo, and I founded No Recipes to empower home cooks of all levels by sharing essential techniques and my kitchen secrets.

    Start Here →

    Trending Recipes

    • Omurice is a mashup of savory sweet chicken fried rice with a creamy omelette.
      Omurice (オムライス)
    • Crisp juicy fried chicken glazed in a sweet and sour orange sauce that's redolent of fresh citrus thanks to a triple dose of orange.
      Orange Chicken
    • Dipping coconut fried shrimp in a orange chili sauce.
      Crispy Coconut Shrimp
    • Crispy panko chicken tenders served with lemon wedges and lettuce in a basket.
      Panko Chicken Tenders
    • Luxuriously smooth scoop of homemade matcha ice cream.
      Matcha Ice Cream (No-Churn)
    • Edamame

    Trending Categories

    • Fall
    • Japanese (Modern)
    • Japanese (Traditional)
    • Japanese (Chinese)
    • Stir Fry
    • Easy Weeknight

    Footer

    About

    • About
    • Help Me
    • Hire Me
    • Photography
    • FAQs

    Connect

    • Email Updates
    • Contact

    Legal

    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy

    Copyright © 2023 Marc Matsumoto. All rights reserved