Uni-Hishio : Fukui’s Specialty Sea Urchin Sauce
The “Wakasa (若狭)” region in Fukui Prefecture is known for being rich in seafood from ancient times.
In fact, it is said that, in the Nara period (奈良時代 : 710 to 794), the lord presented the seafood caught in the area, such as salt, fish and seaweed, to the imperial court of Japan.
In the old days, sea urchin, “Uni (雲丹)” was caught in large quantities in Wakasa, which today is known for having a specialty sea urchin sauce.
Unihishio (雲丹醤)
The local specialty sea urchin sauce that Wakasa boasts is called “Uni-Hishio (雲丹醤)”, which is made by salting sea urchin roe, and then fermenting and aging the salted sea urchin.
Ingredients
Specifically, according to the label on the glass bottle, the main ingredients in the Unihishio sauce are sea urchin, sugar, salt, onion, amino acid, spices, and paprika pigment.
Taste
The Uni-Hishio sauce has a golden brown color that comes primarily from its main ingredient sea urchin eggs.
The fermentation and aging process imparts depth of flavor and distinctive umami to the Uni sauce, making it a mellow, delicious sea urchin sauce.
Uses
The small folded leaflet shown above came with the product. According to that, the sea urchin sauce, Unihishio can be used in various ways.
For example, it is recommended as a sauce for pasta and fried seafood, and goes well with “Tamago Kake Gohan (卵かけご飯 : Uncooked egg on rice)”. Besides, the Uni sauce can also be a secret seasoning for Ramen.
Actually, this was the first time I tried the Unihishio sauce. This time, I tasted it with fresh vegetables, Sashimi fresh raw fish slices, and plain white rice.
With Sashimi
Instead of soy sauce, I ate Sashimi slices dipping in the Uni sauce. As the leaflet says, this usage was very nice.
Dipping Fresh Vegetables in Uni-Hishio Mayo Sauce
Fresh vegetables are one of the best matches with the sea urchin sauce. Especially, the dip of Unihishio sauce and mayonnaise is perfect for them.
With Steamed Plain Rice
Putting some Uni-Hishio on steamed plain rice and eating it, I found that this sea urchin sauce is suitable for plain foods in particular.
