4. Kina
This dark brownish-green spiny urchin is only found in New Zealand, and has been a significant part of the Maori diet since pre-European times. The males boast a bright yellow to orange mass of gonads that are renowned for their silkiness, while the female roe is delicate and creamy with a grainier texture.
Kina are found up and down New Zealand’s coast down as deep as 50 meters (165 feet). They can be as dense as 50 adults per square meter and reach a diameter of 6 inches. An interesting fact about Kina (and urchin in general) is their mouth or chewing organ is a five-sided structure named Aristotle’s Lantern. The term was coined by Aristotle in his book, The History of Animals, stating “In reality, the mouth-apparatus of the urchin is continuous from one end to the other, but to outward appearance it is not so, but looks like a horn lantern with the panes of horn left out.”
Recipe by Jeremy Rameka for Stuff (New Zealand).
Fried kina with creamed button mushrooms (serves 4)
Ingredients
- 4 large fresh kina, removed from the shells, or 1 punnet kina
- 300ml olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons extra for frying
- 1 onion, sliced
- 250g punnet button mushrooms, quartered
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt, plus an extra pinch
- 300-350ml cream
- 4 egg whites
- squeeze of lemon juice
- 2 cups rice flour
- chopped chives to serve
Method
- Put the kina in a bowl, cover with the oil and leave to marinate while you prepare the rest of the dish (this helps remove some of the bitterness).
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a frying pan over low heat, add the onion and gently fry until softened. Add the mushrooms, sprinkle with the salt, increase the heat to high and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the moisture has reduced.
- Add the cream and simmer for 4-5 minutes until it has reduced to a sauce consistency. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside. Put the egg whites in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice and beat to soft peak stage. Put the rice flour in a bowl. Remove the kina from the oil and dip them in the rice flour to cover all sides, then dip in the beaten egg whites to cover.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a frying pan, add the kina and fry for about 45-60 seconds on each side or until the egg whites are cooked. Remove from the pan and serve in bowls or deep plates with the creamed mushrooms, garnished with chopped chives.
For the wine to accompany the meal:
A dry, crisp sauvignon blanc in the mould of the Church Road Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2015.
