By Rosemary Parkinson, Freelance Writer
Sea egg are among the top in the long line of Caribbean gastronomic aphrodisiacs. - Photo By Rosemary Parkinson
IT HAS taken at least 10 years but luck of lucks, I have had the ultimate pleasure of savouring, with unbridled delight, sea egg. Yep, a sea egg.
As I understand it (correct me if I am wrong) the sea egg lives in abundance in the sea surrounding Jamaica but is not looked upon as a source of food. Why not? I guess for the same reason in some islands only the white Sea Egg is eaten ignorance.
However, in Martinique and Guadeloupe, for instance, the black ones find themselves on the shelves of seafood outlets as proudly as the white ones and are even exported to France. Those 'Frenchies' understand fully that these creatures are among the top in the long line of Caribbean gastronomic aphrodisiacs such as oysters, sea moss and bois bande (a tree bark indigenous to certain Caribbean islands. Made into a tea and purported to have the same properties as Viagra, it's sold in the sex stores of Pigalle for hundreds of francs for a sip).
I don't think the average Frenchman knows about Mannish Water or Bull Foot Soup though. Hmmm, soup for thought, actually. Grace Kennedy do your thing. Can de soups and send them to Paris. And, please, I beg any Jamaican man reading this article not to start climbing the mountains, penetrating the rain forests and cutting down trees looking for bois bande. It would be easier for you to have a few local fishermen-divers bring in the white sea egg.
'MI NAH TOUCH DI BLACK SEA EGG'
Now I am going to tell you straight, call me ignorant but mi nah go chomp on Diadema antillarum i.e. the black sea egg. Not because I believe they are poisonous as some islanders say but because of those excruciatingly painful spines. Once stuck into any part of your body they must be urinated on, hot waxed, or whatever some very knowledgeable bystander will claim, to stop the pain of pains that can last for months if none of the concoctions work. Tripneustes ventricosus, or the West Indian white sea egg, on the other hand can be fondled quite harmlessly and is therefore more appealing to me.
I guess those picking up the horrid black sea eggs can wear enormous gloves or use some kind of underwater 'tongs' to harvest the. Moi? I would still be too scared. I do believe it's best to call the French islanders and ask dem how to do de ting before we plunge straight into it head on. Before I get blamed for spines imbedded in bodies all over Jamaica, let's just look at the white sea egg for now.
The white sea egg is an urchin from the echinoderm group of animals that thrive on surf-swept reefs and turtle-grass beds. They are white (obviously), round, growing to about five inches in diameter and are covered with short white spines. The flattened spherical shell, called a test, is darker than the rest of the animal. At the top of the "egg" there is an opening that is the anus of the creature and at the bottom, one that is the animal's mouth. So you could say he is a rather upside down type. Looking for trouble if you ask me.
The white sea egg has five teeth used for scraping algae off reefs, eating turtle grass and keeping coral from getting in a smothering mood. Once harvested by the way, remember I said harvested because if Jamaicans suddenly develop a craving for this amazing delight, we will need to take heed of the happenings in other islands total depletion of stocks. Legislation has had to be put in place wherever people look at the sea egg as the utmost of aphrodisiacal delicacies. So maybe the Jamaican Government had better proceed with sea egg laws 'cause I do believe once this article hits the street white sea eggs will suddenly be de t'ing.
HOW TO EAT A SEA EGG
Now let's get straight to the part of the sea egg that is actually eaten the roe or eggs. Once captured, the shell is cracked and each neat row of roe is carefully removed. It's really very delicate and can break up easily some practice required. In Barbados the old time way (still used in some areas) was to make a cone out of a sea grape leaf, remove the roe from the sea egg, wash it carefully in clean (or sea) water and fill for the sale. This is an arduous job because (if I remember correctly) there are usually only about five or six roes to each creature.
Islanders who are sea egg oriented have different ways of preparing this delicacy. Sometimes the roe is collected into one opened shell and roasted over a wood fire just so with a touch of lime and salt. Sea Egg Creole is often served up with sweet potatoes, plantain and even a little rice and gungo peas. Then there's Sea Egg Ceviche or Sea Egg Souffle. Sea egg is also used with rice in place of peas a kind of Sea Egg Pelau, if you will.
Below are a couple of recipes (from my book Culinaria:The Caribbean). So the next time you just happen to be on a reef, spot the edible spiny sexy characters and decide to pluck them from their abode at least you will have a few tricks up your sleeve for preparing them.
Personally, I could sit on a beach for hours and as the roe is extricated squeeze a little lime on same and immediately place in mouth. Divine. Dangerous though. Single or 'engaged' my advice is to proceed home quickly and take to your bed! What happens after that is not my fault. True. True. Sea eggs eaten raw are seriously purported to be an amazing aid when seeking electrifying feats in the sack for both men and women. God's own special creation.
Rosemary Parkinson is doing herself an injustice eating sea egg alone but enjoying every petite morsel, believe you me.
Sea Egg Creole
2 cups of raw white sea egg
roe
1 tbsp. butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 sprig scallion, finely
chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
4 fresh tomatoes, peeled and
diced
1/4 tsp. fresh hot pepper,
finely diced
1 tsp. fresh parsley, finely
chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lime
METHOD
Wash the roe in a little water
and lime. Strain. Melt butter in a frying pan, saute onion, garlic and escallion over a low fire. Add the hot pepper and tomatoes.
When cooked, add the roe, stirring carefully as you would for fluffy scrambled eggs. Remove the mixture when it is bright yellow and fluffy. Sprinkle with parsley and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with rice and gungo peas, fried plantain, a piece of buttered sweet potato with a side mixed salad.
Sea Egg Ceviche
1/2 lb. raw sea egg roe
6 limes
1 clove of garlic, grated
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 hot pepper, deseeded and
finely
chopped
A dash of rum
METHOD
Place roe in a glass dish. Squeeze the lime juice over same. Fold in garlic, onion, pepper and rum carefully. Add salt to taste. Allow to stand for about half hour before serving on a bed of iceberg lettuce.
