A translation by Judith Turcotte.
We can find the green sea urchin, also known as the common sea urchin, in the St. Lawrence River. The scientists, to show their superiority on the subject, baptized it “Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis.” It takes some doing. In Europe some refer to it as a “sea cat” or “sea hedgehog.” The sea urchin is not unique to the St. Lawrence River. It is found in the arctic regions of the Atlantic, the Pacific and on the east and west coasts of North America. There are nearly 1000 urchin species in the world and most are edible.
The green sea urchin in the St. Lawrence River is a cold sea specie. The specie is edible; we eat the sexual glands also called gonads or coral. These gonads are considered by some as equal to caviar, by others, like foie gras. France is the world’s second-largest consumer of sea urchins after Japan. A few years ago, I had the opportunity of eating sea urchin sushi in a restaurant in Montérégie, absolutely delicious. It is no longer on the menu. I would have loved to repeat the experience.
It is possible to purchase live sea urchins at fish markets such as La Mer in Montréal. The preparation of these sea urchins might seem daunting and require patience. I invite you to visit the site of Tommy Roy, chef of the Arlequin restaurant in Rimouski, for a video on the preparation of the live sea urchin. It is possible to purchase the gonads of opened sea urchins and prepared on plates. They are not always available and it is necessary to check the deliveries. The gonads are excellent raw on crust bread with a little butter.
The sea urchin feeds on algae. Sea urchin fishing began in Québec in 1994 and remains limited du to the low demand and difficult fishing conditions. The fishing methods allowed is the handpicking by diving and trapping with wire traps. It is also possible to fish sea urchins using a net mounted on a sledge that drags the seabed. This fishing damages the ecosystem and is authorized in rare areas of the northern St. Lawrence Estuary. The strong majority of harvested sea urchins is exported to the United States and Japan. They are considered as exotic products.
The sea urchin is a good example of our lack of knowledge when it is time to taste the products offered by the St. Lawrence River. It is no surprise that 72% of Québec marine products are sold abroad.