Oursins Corses — Sea Urchin Preparation and Raw Service

The collection and service of oursins — sea urchins — is a defining element of Corsican maritime culture, particularly along the Cap Corse peninsula and the rocky inlets of the Sartenais. Paracentrotus lividus is the preferred species — smaller, deeper-flavoured, and more aromatic than the Atlantic varieties. Corsican fishermen collect oursins by hand-diving in winter (November through March) when roe is at peak development. The preparation is minimal: the top of the shell is cut with scissors or a special oursinade knife, the internal black viscera removed with a spoon, and the five orange roe segments — the corail — exposed for direct consumption with a crust of pain de châtaigne or a teaspoon. The flavour is of the sea itself — intensely marine, iodine-sweet, with an algal undertone from the urchin's diet of Corsican coastal seaweed. Oursins are also whisked into omelettes and folded into pasta dough for a distinctly Corsican preparation — the roe's natural fat and ocean intensity transforms simple egg dishes.