Origin: Vancouver Island, Canada
This exceptional red sea urchin roe (uni) represents the pinnacle of North Pacific seafood delicacies. Harvested by divers from the pristine waters surrounding Vancouver Island, each vibrant orange-gold tongue offers an unparalleled taste experience. What truly sets Unifresco apart is their exclusive High-Pressure Processing (HPP) technology, which preserves the uni's natural texture, aroma and flavour profile while extending shelf life dramatically—solving the longstanding challenges chefs face when working with this delicate ingredient.
Unlike traditional fresh uni that deteriorates rapidly or frozen varieties that compromise on texture, Unifresco delivers consistently superior quality with velvety soft texture, clean oceanic aroma and the rich, sweet-umami flavour that has made Canadian red sea urchin (Mesocentrotus franciscanus) prized by even the most discerning Japanese and Korean chefs. The 100% natural processing uses no alum or chemical treatments, allowing the pure character of this premium seafood to shine through.
Producer: Unifresco represents a groundbreaking collaboration between Canadian seafood experts, government support and Vancouver University research. Their revolutionary HPP technology has transformed uni preparation, extending refrigerated shelf life to an unprecedented 30 days after thawing while maintaining pristine quality. Their sustainable harvesting program ensures consistent year-round availability, with each sea urchin carefully selected for optimal color, texture and flavor development.
Serving suggestion: Enjoy in its purest form atop warm sushi rice with a minimal touch of wasabi, or create luxurious pasta dishes where the creamy texture becomes a natural sauce. The seawater the uni is frozen in contains rich umami compounds and can be incorporated into sauces or broths for additional depth of flavour.
Net: 85g
Storage: Keep frozen at -18 and thaw overnight in the fridge before use. After thawing, product maintains exceptional quality for up to 5 days.
Allergens: Shellfish
Uni Pasta Recipe: Four to eight tongues per person are advised, so one of our 85g packs works for two people. We recommend using linguine pasta.
To make the pasta, begin by cooking diced shallots and garlic in unsalted butter and a bit of oil to prevent burning. If you want a spicy kick, add fresh or dry chilli to the mix. Once the onions and garlic are translucent, pour in a glug of white wine. Cook the pasta until it's just under al dente. Reserve some of the pasta water for later use. When the onions, garlic, and chilli have cooked down, add some of the pasta water to the pan. Then, drain the pasta and add it to the pan while it's still hot. Add a little pasta water to the uni and break it down with a fork. Add the broken-down uni to the pan and coat the pasta well with it.
The pasta water is the secret ingredient. It contains starches rinsed off the pasta while it is cooked, allowing it to thicken and emulsify sauces without affecting the flavour. This is especially helpful when trying to preserve the briny taste of the Uni. While some recipes suggest using cream, we found that keeping it simple helped to showcase the flavour of the Uni.
