The rays of sun and crisp smells of the sea air breathed new seasonal life into the markets in Cassis this week. At last, spring is just around the corner, and we are starting to catch glimpses of the beautiful fresh colors entering into the dazzling Provence markets. To us, there’s nothing more luxurious than hand-selecting the most beautiful, fresh ingredients and incorporating the tastes of each season of Provence into your own cuisine.
Just a few inspirational images to get you into the spring market mood and inspired to incorporate new seasonal Provence flavors into your home table, whether fresh from the Mediterranean sea like those gorgeous urchins, or direct from the terre.
Here’s a few Wikihow tips on how to prepare sea urchins, or oursin, as we call them in France, which admittedly can look a bit intimidating to tackle, but are considered a delicacy for foodies around the world, so might just be worth the effort while they are in season:
- Cut a round opening in the top of the sea urchin using small, pointed scissors
- Scoop out the “tongues” of the sea urchin with a small spoon. A grapefruit spoon works well. Rinse the pieces quickly under cold water, and place them in a bowl with the onion, sherry, lemon juice, cilantro and 1 T. olive oil. Allow to marinate for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat a grill, and brush the bread with the rest of the olive oil. When the grill is heated to medium, toast the bread on both sides.
- Add the sea urchin to the top of the slices and serve.
Happy spring cooking everyone!
Market images credit: Adi Bukman Photography
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