Uni Sushi (sea urchin sushi)

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
August 1, 2007

SUSHI YASUDA
204 E 43rd St
(2nd & 3rd Aves)
New York, NY 10017
212-972-1001

Since returning from Greece, I’ve been on a sea urchin kick. I want to eat fresh uni (sea urchin) every day! The Greeks eat sea urchin with olive oil, lemon and bread. So when a Greek friend of mine, Alex, mentioned that she loves to buy sea urchin from Citarella, open and clean them herself and then enjoy them leisurely at home, I headed straight to the market. It sounded easy enough; unfortunately, sea urchins are not in season on the East Coast right now, so I was out of luck. This only fueled my craving.

In the August heat, I didn’t want to venture far and thought that I should give my neighborhood (seemingly more authentic) sushi joint, Ushiwakamaru, another try. For a variety of reasons — one of them being that the restaurant always feels rather dingy to me — I was once again not impressed. Since I am focusing on uni, I’ll skip the fish head and the rest of my gargantuan meal. As part of the starter, I was served steamed sea urchin with jelly. Unless it’s in pasta, I like my uni raw. I like the gooey texture and the strong, virulent flavor. When it’s steamed, uni seems to lose its personality; it becomes too solid and bland. I also had uni sushi at the end of the meal, and though it was better than the steamed, it didn’t hit the spot like I had hoped it would.

The following evening, on a whim, I decided to go to Sushi Yasuda, looking to remedy the previous evening’s experience. I wanted to make sure I had delicious sushi. About five years ago, I was at Yasuda-san’s counter on a weekly basis. In the past couple of years, I haven’t been able to go as often as I would like, but on this night, the stars were perfectly aligned. Without a reservation, I was able to get a seat in front of Yasuda-san, and though it’s been a while, he remembered exactly what I liked. Of course, I can’t go to Sushi Yasuda without starting with the morokyu (cucumbers with moromi miso). The monkfish tempura was not necessary, but it was a nice appetizer to whet my appetite. “The usual” for me is sushi matsu, twelve pieces of sushi and half a roll, omakase (chef’s choice) at Yasuda-san’s discretion of course! Yasuda-san must have magical hands because any fish he touches is just divine. The meals I’ve had at the restaurant when I didn’t sit in front of Yasuda-san’s station were, in my book, a waste of time.

My two MUST HAVES are hotate (scallop) and uni. Without having to remind him, the hotate appeared in the middle of the meal and after putting it in my mouth, I was floating on a cloud to heaven. For my last two pieces of sushi, Yasuda-san brought out two different varieties of uni, one from Sakhalin Island in Russia and the other from Santa Barbara. Both were orgasmically titillating, and I fear that having a preference for one may be blasphemy. The uni from Sakhalin Island was creamy, buttery and sweet and though it glided down my throat smoothly, I savored the taste until the end. It’s kind of strange to think that the Santa Barbara uni, which is generally considered sweet, was bitterer by comparison. I commented on how different the two uni tasted and Yasuda-san replied, “But both are delicious, which is what makes it interesting.” The meal concluded as perfectly as it had begun with one each of the green tea and red bean mochi ice cream.

It’s been a week since the meal at Sushi Yasuda, and I can still visualize, taste and smell the uni. And I am reminded why a weekly visit really is a necessity!

Also in Japanese, Midtown East, Sea Urchin, Seafood, Sushi