ULOG: Day 12 "SEA URCHIN" ~ Eluded to loved delicacy of Tabuelan~

Have you met those spiky little black ball of devils along the beaches? Or it's folklore stories that has been told by generations of our parents to stay away from? Or the horror stories that if your not careful and had step on them, you have to endure its spikes crawling deep into your skin and have to pee yourself on the affected area to ease the burn and pain?

Well I had heard a lot about these dude and he's called a Sea Urchin! Its body mass is 1-4 inches wide and its spikes are so long but the amazing part is, they use these spikes to crawl to another places. You can see them spread like the sand if you happen to try island hopping. But my perception about them changed when I had a vacation in Tabuelan Cebu, where my bestfriend lives and who is addicted to Sea Urchin's yummy meat!

I am not a fan of it at first and trying is all what it takes to love them too! Yes, you have to ask the gatherer to clean off the urchin from it's spikes first and from there, you have to open and clean the inside for yourself. It's quite fun actually!

1. First we bought a pail of sea urchins and already spikes free!
2. Second we have to smash the top of the urchin with a rock, just enough to break the shell.
3. Remove the top where there are like rows of its teeth and the inside of the urchin is messy like cobwebs where the meat is covered so you have to wash it off using the saltwater. So this is the fun part! Because you have to eat it, by the shore, wet and all and you have to work for it before you could taste it. .^_^
4. Afterwards, you can now enjoy its meat which personally for me taste like the ocean! It is so fresh and its meat just melts in your mouth like a butter, that maybe is the reason why my bestfriend loves it so much!

So next time you are on a beach, try to ask the locals if they have sea urchins for sale and try it for yourself! You never know maybe you'll love it too! So when you see one, it is not fear that you will feel but a growling tummy wanting and loving it. ^_^

Till next time! Thank you for dropping by friends!

P.S. all photos are mine. ^_^