Uni

One of the three traditional treasures of the Edo Period, Uni is what a lot of customers will (rightly or wrongly) be focused on when enjoying an Omakase. There are many nuances to the Uni you’ll get served, including the geography, species and season, and they probably deserve a blog post at some point this decade.

However, what you need to know for now are the that the edible parts you’re eating are actually the Sea Urchin’s ovaries, and that there are two types of Uni typically used in sushi: Bafun-uni,or the red, short-spined version, and Murasaki Uni, called the purple sea urchin, and a bit more yellow. Hokkaido is a well-known source, but so are places like Santa Barbara and Nova Scotia .