Thai Recipes for Sea Urchin

[kevin]

Hi, I'm new on egullet and I was hoping for some help, suggestions here. I can't seem to locate any Thai recipes using sea urchin. They are indiginess to the area. Any body know, noboby in Toronto seems to know? Thank- you

[ecr]

All the sea urchin we had in Thailand was served raw, with lime squeezed over.

[kevin]

Thank you for the information. I was hoping for something like a how moke, but I guess there isn'y any such recipes out there.

[ecr]

Oh, OK .... but frankly I think the curry element of haw mawk would overpower the delicate sea urchin (sort of a waste). All of the haw mawk versions I've had have had enough heat to leave a tingle on the tongue.

[kevin]

Yes, the paste in a how moke may do that, but by making your own paste you could control the overpowering aspect of the paste. Have you ever seen it as an element in a salad or even used to create the dressing for a salad in the southern area of Thailand. I really want to put sea urchin on my menu but I want it to be based on a traditional Thai creation. Unfortunately, sea urchin with lime needs more "substance" for my customers. I would be happy to eat it but I do not think my current clientele would be able to appreciate the character of such a simple creation.

[ecr]

Well, perhaps you could use it sort of like shrimp paste in a dish like khao kapi --- which is rice fried with garlic and *lots* of shrimp paste and then served with an array of accompaniments like shredded green mango or green papaya or guava (something crisp and sour - granny smith apple would work); sliced cucumber; shredded cabbage; slices of crisped Chinese sausage; "sweet" pork; caramelized shallots; sliced scallions; chopped cilantro; and phrik namplaa (fish sauce with sliced fresh hot chilis), phrik namsom (white vinegar with the same), phrik heeng (crushed roasted dried chilis); and white pepper. This is one of my all-time favorite Thai dishes, bec. it's got so many flavors, textures, and temperatures (hot rice cool guava) going on at once.

And I have also heard of dips (for raw veggies) made of crab roe (which you can buy in the market in Bangkok, the stuff in shrimp heads, or lobster tomalley, coked with coriander root, garlic, fish sauce, etc. There is a recipe for the latter in Thompson's book, I think (I've lent my copy out or I'd have a look).

[kevin]

Now we're talking. I remember a Thai "ceviche" using lime juice and fish sauce, etc. That does not exactly work in Canada in January, but your suggestions certainly got me thinking. Thank-you for your help.

[pim]

Hi, I'm new on egullet and I was hoping for some help, suggestions here.  I can't seem to locate any Thai recipes using sea urchin. 

..because there isn't one.

They are indiginess to the area.

No they are not. The stuff that Japanese restaurants serve in Thailand are flown in from elsewhere.

Edited December 13, 2003 by pim (log)

[kevin]

The blue spotted sea urchin are found in the coastal waters around Thailand. The reason that Japapnese restaurants bring in their sea urchin from elsewhere probably is the result of the superior quality of sea urchins from cold waters, such as those found of the east and west coast of Canada.

[pim]

The blue spotted sea urchin are found in the coastal waters around Thailand. The reason that Japapnese restaurants bring in their sea urchin from elsewhere probably is the result of the superior quality of sea urchins from cold waters, such as those found of the east and west coast of Canada.

My point exactly. The sea urchins found in Thailand are not the type that is usually eaten. They are unpalatable. The urchins found in Thailand are only good for causing enormous pain when stepped on.

I've not tried to eat them myself, but I am sure that had they been at all palatable, the Thais would have been eating them all along. I mean, we eat Hosreshoe Crabs!!