Uni Pasta (Sea Urchin Pasta)

4.52 from 41 votes
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Rich, creamy and delicious Uni Pasta (Sea Urchin Pasta) made with fresh sea urchins. The uni lend a remarkable taste to this pasta. 

Uni pasta on a plate.
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Uni Pasta Recipe

This sea urchin pasta recipe was adapted from Eat A Duck I Must.

This is a restaurant quality recipe that is 100% homemade and made from scratch, at a fraction of cost compared to restaurants. Another similar dish is Meitako Pasta.

This is a perfect dinner date recipe if you want to impress your guests or your significant other.

The recipe comes together in less than 30 minutes.


What Is Uni Pasta

Uni spaghetti served with fresh Japanese sea urchins.

The pasta has a rich and creamy taste, with the sauce loaded with the briny flavors of fresh sea urchins.

With this easy recipe, now you can make it at home!


Uni Pasta Ingredients

A top down shot of sea urchin pasta served on a plate.

If I am not mistaken, uni pasta is made famous by celeb chef extraordinaire Eric Ripert.

I remember watching a TV program where Eric made his famous signature dish with the following ingredients:

  • Fresh sea urchin or Japanese uni
  • Heavy whipping cream

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.


Frequently Asked Questions

How many calories per serving?

This recipe is only 1130 calories per serving.

Uni pasta dish, expertly captured in a visually appealing presentation, showcasing a delightful and flavorful seafood pasta.

What To Serve With Uni Pasta

For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

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4.52 from 41 votes

Uni Pasta

Rich, creamy and delicious Uni Pasta (Sea Urchin Pasta) made with fresh sea urchins. The uni lend a remarkable taste to this pasta. 
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2 people
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Ingredients  

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
  • 4 oz. fresh uni (sea urchins)
  • 4 oz. spaghetti
  • 2 egg yolks
  • Grated Parmesan cheese
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Shrimp or caviar, for topping
  • Herb, for garnishing

Instructions 

  • Warm the cream and garlic in a saucepan over low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the cream has thickened.
  • Remove the cream from heat and reserve a little for the egg yolk. Add 3/4 of the uni to the sauce. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth and strain through a sieve; keep warm.
  • Start a pot of salted boiling water for the spaghetti and cook until al dente. Strain the pasta and add it to a hot pan, then add the uni sauce and cook for a couple more seconds. Beat the egg yolks with the reserved cream. Remove the hot pan from the stove and slowly pour in the egg mixture while stirring to prevent it from turning into scrambled eggs.
  • Add a handful of grated Parmesan cheese and stir. Season the pasta to taste with salt and pepper. Plate the pasta and garnish with shrimp or caviar, and top with herbs such as chives or parsley.

Notes

You may top the uni pasta with a few shrimp. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. In a hot pan, pan-sear until the shrimp are cooked. Add the shrimp as a topping.

Nutrition

Serving: 2people, Calories: 1130kcal, Carbohydrates: 51g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 94g, Saturated Fat: 57g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 24g, Cholesterol: 483mg, Sodium: 107mg, Potassium: 378mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 3763IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 195mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Please rate and comment below!

About Rasa Malaysia

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

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Recipe Rating





23 Comments

  1. Wilson says:

    Hi, for 1 pound of spaghetti, do I have to multiply all ingredients by 4? Would it be too much cream and egg yolks? Thanks.

    1. Bee Yinn Low says:

      You can’t multiply in this recipe.

  2. Kei says:

    Can I cut the cream with some milk? Seems like alot of cream. I’m too fat.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Sure you can.

  3. Peter Jurgen H Schnee says:

    This, no doubt is a nice recipe. However, the “problem” is WHERE TO GET FRESH UNI? That is not something you buy in the supermarket or even Whole Foods, for that matter. And who happens to have a Japanese market in his/her neighborhood? Therefore, most people cannot prepare this dish. Unfortunately.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      You can buy uni online and they will send to you packed with ice.

    2. Ann R says:

      I know I’m a bit late on this message thread but I just asked my local Whole Foods to order Uni for me. It only took a few days for it to arrive at the store. I’m a happy customer.

  4. Deborah J Ireland says:

    Uni is nowhere to be seen within 50 miles of my place. Is there anything I can substitute?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      You can use mentaiko, salted cod roes sold in Japanese stores.

  5. margo says:

    question…your recipe says..3/4 of the uni…what about the rest? when do you add it?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Add to the top as toppings.

  6. syn ni Fong says:

    Hi, can I replace shrimps with crab meat or scallops?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Yes you can!

      1. syn ni Fong says:

        Thanks!! Can I also season crab meat with salt & pepper?

        1. Rasa Malaysia says:

          Yes, you can.

  7. spunky says:

    I think of Uni Pasta as Japanese, not Wester. It might have been made famous by Eric Ripert. But I first ate it 30 years ago in a Japanese joint that specializes Uni Pasta in LA’s Little Tokyo. Even the name suggests a Japanese origin.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      That’s interesting. I have always thought uni pasta is a new thing invented by Eric Ripert. Thanks for sharing your insight.

    2. NiruR says:

      Google “riccio di mare”. Sea urchin (uni) is featured in Mediterranean cuisine. I have eaten pasta in sea urchin sauce in Italian restaurants in Italy and here in the US.

    3. Pat says:

      I think pasta with sea urchin is Italian, served in coastal areas of Italy such as Puglia and Sicily, also in the Amalfi coast. Goes by a different name, ricci de mare. Japanese might have adapted it but pasta is definitely Italian.

  8. angela says:

    hello Rasa Malaysia! thank you for sharing this recipe! I am about to try it and based on the most recent comment, I just want to clarify… that indeed I need 2 cups of heavy cream for 6 pieces of uni?

    thank you for your help,
    Angela

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Yes two cups.

  9. Alex says:

    Hi, Bee.
    How big is your package of uni? How much of spaghetti do we need?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      4 oz of spaghetti and uni it’s a small package. it has about like 6 pieces of the uni.