What is Uni Pasta?
Uni cream pasta (うにのクリームパスタ) is a decadent dish made with spaghetti served in a creamy sauce flavoured with sea urchins. Uni (うに or ウニ) is the Japanese word for sea urchin roe and this popular seafood ingredient is characterized by its creamy, rich and distinctively sweet flavor.
The specific preparation methods vary, but in general, uni is combined with a cream sauce or olive oil-based sauce and mixed with al dente-cooked spaghetti. Other ingredients, such as garlic, chili flakes, parsley, and lemon juice, may be added to enhance or complement the flavor.
Since uni is a luxury ingredient, it is often more expensive than other pasta dishes when eaten at restaurants that use proper fresh sea urchin.
However, this is not to say that it is a uniquely Japanese dish. Pasta flavored with sea urchins can also be found in Italy, the kingdom of pasta dishes, especially in Southern Italy, where sea urchin is caught.
Ingredients & Substitution Ideas
- Spaghettini/Spaghetti – Other recommended pastas include linguine, tagliatelle, and fettuccine…ect.
- Olive oil – Extra virgin or regular olive oil both work.
- Garlic cloves – The garlic itself is not used in the final dish but is cooked with olive oil to extract the garlic flavor. It would be a waste to throw it away, so I usually eat the fried garlic straight after this process is complete or save it for salads etc. Alternatively, you could use garlic-infused olive oil as a shortcut.
- Red onion – red onions are recommended for sea urchin pasta due to their sweet flavor, but white onion can be used in a pinch.
- Cream – I use heavy cream with 36% milk fat. Avoid using single cream (18%) as it’s more prone to curdling.
- Sea urchin – Frozen sea urchin is fine since it is not eaten raw, but fresh raw sea urchin is sweeter and tastes better with pasta.
- Canned tomatoes – Since only a small amount is used, it’s better to use crushed or diced canned tomatoes over whole tomatoes.
- White wine – In particular, Vermentino, Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño, Chablis, Pinot Grigio would be great choices if they are already in the house. You don’t need an especially expensive wine, but make sure to use one you’d be happy drinking.
- Anchovy fillet – I use jarred anchovies in olive oil. Use a small amount to add deep saltiness and umami to the dish.
- Butter – unsalted butter gives you more control over the salt content of the dish. If using salted butter, reduce the salt in the sauce.
- Salt – As a general rule of thumb, I add 1 tsp of salt for every 1 liter of water and 100g of pasta.
- Black pepper – Used as a topping, slightly coarse pepper is delicious.
- Parsley – Either dried parsley or finely chopped fresh parsley can be used.
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Uni Cream Pasta at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
Start boiling a large pot of water with salt for the pasta. While you wait, add oil and sliced garlic to a frying pan and heat it on low.
When the garlic starts to turn golden, remove them from the oil. They won’t be used again in this recipe, so you can either eat them or serve them on another dish (they’re great with salads, etc!). Be careful not to burn the garlic as this can add a bitter taste to the oil.
Add the red onion and anchovy to the garlic-infused oil and fry until the onions have softened.
Once the onions are soft, add the pasta to the pot of boiling water and cook until al dente (chewy and firm). This is usually 1-2 minutes before the time stated on the packaging.
Add the crushed tomatoes and white wine to the frying pan and mix well.
Pour the cream into the pan and heat gently until almost boiling, stirring occasionally. It’s important not to use a high heat as this can cause the cream to heat too quickly and split or curdle.
Once the cream is warmed through, reduce the heat and add the uni. Break it up, and mix it into the sauce. Optional: save a small amount of uni to decorate the top at the end!
Continue to simmer the sauce on low while you wait for the pasta to finish cooking. Add a small amount of pasta water to make it glossy and stick to the pasta better.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the sauce along with the unsalted butter. Turn off the heat and mix well.
The butter will melt into the sauce, mix until the pasta is thoroughly covered.
Dish up and top with a sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper and chopped parsley. If you saved some uni you can place it on the top with a parsley leaf for added decoration!
Enjoy!
Jump to Full Recipe MeasurementsFAQ
Sea urchins themselves are found in oceans all over the world, from deep sea bottoms to rocky shores. In Japan alone, there are around 140 species, contributing to a whopping total of about 870 known species globally!
If you ever taste them, you’ll notice differences. For instance, sea urchins from Japan and Italy have slight variations in their look, taste, and size.
Did you know the biggest catch of sea urchins in Japan is in Hokkaido? In 2019, they caught in a staggering 57.5% of the national total. Hokkaido, along with Iwate and Aomori, the second and third largest catchers, are all in northern Japan. Together, they bring in about 77% of all the sea urchins caught in the country.
Japan’s love for sea urchins goes way back. They’ve been preserving them with salt since ancient times, marking them as one of Japan’s top three delicacies. Nowadays, they value freshness because sea urchins often star as raw ingredients in sashimi, sushi, and seafood bowls.
Be warned, though, the taste can vary a lot, and so does the price. A small box of fresh sea urchins could set you back from about $4.50 (500 yen) all the way up to over $900 (100,000 yen).
Japan is the world’s biggest fan of sea urchins, consuming about 80% of the global catch!
Ever wondered why Japanese sea urchins are so expensive? There’s a mixture of reasons behind this.
Firstly, consider where sea urchins live – in rocky areas. Using a net to catch them doesn’t work because of the rocks, and so they have to be caught by hand, one at a time.
Another factor is freshness. Sea urchins lose their freshness more quickly than other seafood, which makes storage more challenging. Also, there was a time when sea urchins were overfished due to high demand. Now, with catch restrictions in place, the number of sea urchins available has decreased, affecting supply.
You might ask, “Why not farm sea urchins?” Farming sea urchins is extremely difficult, and even if successful, it takes at least two years before they’re ready for shipment. As a result, farmed sea urchins are few, and the supply doesn’t meet the demand. When supply can’t meet demand, prices stay high.
In conclusion, the strong love for sea urchins in Japan outpaces the supply, hence the high prices.
To be honest, it is not easy to describe the taste of sea urchin in words. It usually has a sweet, salty, sea flavor and the texture is quite creamy and smooth, with some describing it as “butter of the sea”.
Now, here’s the thing. Not all sea urchins taste the same. It’s kind of like how apples from different places taste different. The type of sea urchin, where it was caught, and the season can all change the flavor. It’s a game of fresh versus not-so-fresh. Fresh sea urchins, though pricier, pack a punch with their rich flavor and pronounced sweetness. On the flip side, older or badly stored urchins might taste bitter.
But hey, if you’re whipping up some sea urchin pasta at home, no need to break the bank. Affordable sea urchin works just fine, especially because it’s mixed into the sauce with other ingredients. After all, it is when eaten raw, such as at sushi restaurants, that the difference in freshness and taste of sea urchin can be felt the most.
I hope you enjoy this Uni Cream Pasta recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Japanese Pasta Recipes
Uni Cream Pasta (Creamy Sea Urchin Pasta)
Ingredients
- 200 g dry spaghetti
- 2000 ml water
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 50 g red onion thinly sliced
- 1 anchovy fillet jarred anchovy in oil
- 3 tbsp canned tomato crushed or diced
- 3 tbsp white wine
- 150 ml heavy cream 36% milk fat
- ¼ tsp salt
- 85 g sea urchins (uni)
- 1 tsp butter
- ground black pepper
- fresh parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Pour 2000 ml water into a large pot, add 2 tsp salt and bring to a boil. While you wait, add 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 cloves garlic to a cold frying pan. Heat on low and fry until the garlic is lightly golden and fragrant. Remove the garlic pieces, they won't be used in this recipe but you can save them for another dish (great with salads, ramen etc)
- Add the 50 g red onion and 1 anchovy fillet. Fry until the onion is slightly softened.
- Once the onion is softened, add 200 g dry spaghetti to the pot of boiling salted water and cook until al dente (generally 1-2 minutes less than the packaging states).
- Add 3 tbsp canned tomato and 3 tbsp white wine to the frying pan.
- Mix well and then add 150 ml heavy cream. Gently heat it without boiling.
- Once the cream is heated through and almost bubbling, reduce the heat and add ¼ tsp salt and 85 g sea urchins (uni) (optional: save 1 tsp of uni per serving for garnish). Break up the uni and mix it into the sauce.
- Simmer the sauce on low until the pasta is ready. Add a small amount of pasta water to the sauce to make it glossy and stick better to the pasta.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the sauce. Turn off the heat and add 1 tsp butter.
- Mix until the pasta is fully coated and the butter has melted into the sauce.
- Place the pasta on serving plates and top with the reserved uni. Sprinkle with ground black pepper and fresh parsley, and enjoy!
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