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Vegan Sea Urchin Will Soon Start Showing Up on Sushi Counters

Prized ocean delicacy is tricky to harvest and keep fresh
Meat-free burgers, fish-free seafood aren’t the only options

Step aside, meat. This Japanese company thinks vegetarian seafood is the next big thing in plant-based foods(Source: TicToc)

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By Mei Futonaka

August 16, 2019 at 11:00 PM UTC

Updated on

August 18, 2019 at 9:00 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

The meat-free movement is finding its way into strange and exotic dishes.

The latest example: imitation uni. Usually, the orange innards of sea urchins served in sushi restaurants are harvested from spiky creatures that live on seabeds. The delicacy requires much labor to collect and keep fresh. That makes it one of the most expensive items on menus; a 100-gram box of top-grade uni from Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido can easily fetch 5,000 yen ($47).