Uni Spectacular

Growing up in the suburbs of Connecticut, I didn't eat a lot of uni. In fact I don't think I had sushi until I was 18, which was a California roll from a supermarket. Ha!

A lot of the finest delicacies that sushi restaurants have to offer didn't make its way to the mainstream until relatively recently, and boy, am I thankful for that! Uni, or sea urchin is even starting to pop up on Italian crudo menus and other western based restaurants. Uni has a creamy complex flavor that melts in your mouth, and tastes as luxurious as caviar!

It used to be that only Japanese fishermen knew how to harvest, prepare and clean uni to be served at sushi restaurants, but now we are seeing great product come out of Maine, Mexico and even Chile is starting to figure out the production. Our uni, at Tampopo Kitchen comes from Maine, and sometimes Japan depending on availability. Our goal is to buy the freshest and highest quality ingredients, while still being as affordable as possible. It's a luxury item and takes a lot of work to prepare and ship, but we are grateful for the supply chain to be able to get it to us at all.

We've certainly come a long way from grocery store California rolls. What a treat! Try uni on top of your "hana sushi" roll today!

Josh