Evechinus Chloroticus

What in the name is that? New Zealand sea urchin roe! It is also known as kina in the Maori language.

Kina a.k.a sea urchin roe in a tub

Walked into Georges Fisheries located on Victoria Avenue to buy some fish and noticed this tub with the words 'Kina Roe' written on it. Wondered what it was, read it carefully and realized it was sea urchin roe. Bought a 200gm tub the week after for NZD15.50 and made pasta aglio olio with sea urchin roe.

Sea urchin

The sea urchin in the tub were harvested from the Coromandel Peninsula. It was kept in clear Pacific waters. From observation, the color of New Zealand sea urchin is not as bright nor yellow as sea urchin or uni we get in Singapore. On the nose, I could only smell the sea water. On the tongue, it had a mild "seaweed" taste with a sweet aftertaste. It has a soft and creamy texture.

Sea urchin on a plate

Decided to make pasta aglio olio with kina for two. While the pasta was cooking in a pot of hot boiling salted water, sliced garlic was fried in a pan with hot olive oil. Once the pasta was al dente, transferred it into the pan & tossed it. Before serving, threw in all the kina into the pan & tossed the pasta again.

Pasta aglio olio with creamy kina

The kina melted with the heat & became like a creamy sauce. I could still taste the taste of the sea. The pasta went well with a New Zealand white wine.