Sea urchins

Sea urchins or Echinoidea are in the echinoderm class. A total of 940 species of sea urchins are known. The distinctive appearance of the inhabitants of the deep sea gave the name to the species. The body of the sea urchin is spherical and rarely exceeds 30 cm in diameter. Moreover, sea urchins differ in the structure of their strong shell, which protects echinoderms from attacks by predators.

The interesting thing is that sea urchins can not only have the correct rounded shape. Some species differ in asymmetry in appearance and structure. Sea urchin needles are located on the shell. It was thanks to the presence of needles that sea urchins got their distinctive name. Sea urchins are common in the subtropical waters of the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Sea urchins live exclusively in highly salty waters, so this species is not found in the Black, Baltic or Caspian Seas. There are two main species of sea urchins that differ in their shape. Regular or round sea urchins are more common on rocky surfaces, and irregular echinoderms prefer sandy soil.

Sea urchin needles serve the marine body, primarily as a means of transportation and only then intimidation. In addition, with the help of needles, the sea urchin gets food for itself. Sea urchin needles are sharp and serve as a protective mechanism, so injuries associated with the echinoderm family are painful and heal for a long time. Sea urchins are used in cooking.

Sea urchin caviar is most popular, however, meat is also used as seafood. Sea urchin meat is considered an ingredient in some delicatessen Mediterranean dishes. Residents of the American continent, as well as New Zealand, have long eaten sea urchin meat. However, the most popular meat and caviar of sea urchins is in Japan.

True connoisseurs of seafood and fish, the Japanese were able to appreciate not only the taste, but also the useful properties of sea urchins. Milk, as well as sea urchin caviar, contains Omega-3 fatty acids indispensable for the human body, as well as natural proteins. Sea urchin meat is used to make salads, sushi and other seafood dishes. Usually, sea urchin meat is already sold in a ready-made state, because only a professional can handle a fresh representative of echinoderms.

The shell of the sea urchin is very strong, and the needles are sharp and can cause painful damage. True, only fresh sea urchins can be prepared from true masterpieces of culinary art. For example, a dish of Mediterranean cuisine "Sea urchins in fennel jelly. " It's Corsica's national treat, where sea urchins have long been part of the culinary tradition.

In addition, sea urchins can act as dessert. Surprisingly, the fact in Italy sea urchins are served with frozen granite (from Italian granita). Granite is a type of ice cream made from fruit juice with added alcohol. In this case, champagne is used, which is incredibly combined with sea urchin meat and fruit ice cream.