Delicious food you want to eat in Hokkaido! Introducing the production areas, seasons, and types of sea urchin

• Table of Contents
• 1 Reasons why the type of sea urchin in Hokkaido is delicious
• 2 Season and production area of ​​sea urchin in Hokkaido
• 3 Shakotan sea urchin
• 4 Market price of sea urchin in Hokkaido
• 5 Popular Hokkaido sea urchin restaurants

1 Reasons why the type of sea urchin in Hokkaido is delicious

Hokkaido is Japan's number one producer of sea urchin. There are several types of sea urchins, but in Hokkaido, ``Bafun sea urchin'', ``Ezobafun sea urchin'', ``Purple sea urchin'', and ``Kitamurasaki sea urchin'' are caught.

"Bafun sea urchin" is shaped like a small scrubbing brush. The orange flesh is small, about 2cm in size, but has a very rich flavor. "Ezo bafun sea urchin" is larger and more colorful than bafun sea urchin. It is characterized by its thick flesh and strong sweetness. Purple sea urchin , which has long black spines, is known as a popular looking sea urchin, and is characterized by its seaside aroma and elegant taste. The shape of the "Kitamurasakiuni" is similar to the "Purple sea urchin", but the shell size is about 10 cm, making it larger than the "Purple sea urchin". The pale yellowish flesh is pale, voluminous, and doesn't fall apart easily, so it is often used as a sushi topping.

It is also said that the reason Hokkaido's sea urchin is so delicious is because Hokkaido is a kelp producing area and people eat delicious kelp. The reason why Rishiri, Hidaka, and Rausu, which are famous for kelp, are famous for producing sea urchin is because they have delicious kelp.

2 Season and production area of ​​sea urchin in Hokkaido

Each fishing ground in Hokkaido has its own closed season to ensure sufficient spawning and growth, but in Hokkaido, sea urchin fishing is carried out almost all year round.

The season varies depending on the production area, but the peak season is said to be from June to August, before the spawning season.

The seasons and main production areas are as follows.

January to June: Rausu

March to May: Erimo/Hidaka

April to June: Rebun Island, Oumu

May to July: Otaru, Esashi

June to August: Rishiri Island, Rebun Island, Shakotan, Otaru, Iwanai, Teuri Island

July-August: Okushiri Island

Late September to December: Matsumae (southern Hokkaido)

On Rishiri Island and Rebun Island, you can catch ``Ezo Bafun Uni'', on the Shakotan Peninsula you can catch ``Bafun Uni'' and ``Purple Sea Urchin'', and on Matsumae, Esashi, and Okushiri Islands, you can catch ``Kita Murasaki Uni''. The Shakotan Peninsula, which faces the Sea of ​​Japan, is especially famous for producing sea urchins.

3 Shakotan sea urchin

About 2 and a half hours by car from Sapporo is the Shakotan Peninsula, which is said to be a sacred place for sea urchins. The bright blue sea is called ``Shakotan Blue,'' and many people visit here for the spectacular natural scenery and sea urchins.

There are two types of sea urchin in Shakotan: ``bafun uni (red sea urchin)'' and ``purple sea urchin (white sea urchin).''

From June to August, when the sea urchin fishing season in Shakotan is open, you can enjoy freshly caught sea urchin bowl. The red and white sea urchin bowl, which is half red (bafun uni) and half white (purple sea urchin), is also a specialty.

The price of a sea urchin bowl in Shakotan is increasing year by year, with a sea urchin bowl made with purple sea urchin (white sea urchin) costing around 4,000 to 5,000 yen, and a sea urchin bowl made with Bafun uni (red sea urchin) costing around 8,000 to 10,000 yen.

4 Market price of sea urchin in Hokkaido

Sea urchin from Hokkaido costs around 3,000 to 4,000 yen per 100g in Hokkaido, and is sold at markets, direct sales shops, and supermarkets. The price may increase significantly as it fluctuates depending on the amount of fish caught each year.

Recently, there has been a shortage of sea urchins due to the poor catch of sea urchins, which is thought to be caused by red tide. Therefore, prices tend to rise further.

5 Popular Hokkaido sea urchin restaurants

So, for those who want to eat sea urchin when they go to Hokkaido, we would like to introduce some popular sea urchin restaurants.

・Uni Murakami Hakodate Main Store https://www.uni-murakami.com/hakodate/

・Uni Murakami Sapporo store https://www.uni-murakami.com/nissay/

・Shakotan Restaurant Misaki https://osyokujidokoromisaki.com/ (Japanese only)

・Wakkanai Sakhalin Restaurant https://tabelog.com/hokkaido/A0109/A010901/1004013/

This concludes our introduction to Hokkaido's sea urchins. Please come to Hokkaido, the home of sea urchin, and enjoy it to the fullest!

(Original article) Delicious trip to Hokkaido | When is sea urchin season? I will tell you the type and origin.

Local travel agency in Hokkaido | Coop Travel website can be viewed here .