FOOD: Sea urchin with cultured butter and toast.

Serves 4

– 60g salt

– 1 litre ice-cold water

– 4 sea urchins

– 4 slabs of sourdough bread (10cm x 2cm x 2cm) – 80g cultured butter

– salt to finish Dissolve the 60 grams of salt into the water to produce a brine for dipping and setting the sea urchin tongues once removed from their shells. Break open the sea urchin using the spoon technique at first, to familiarise yourself with the unique structure, before attempting the other technique of cutting the top open with scissors. I actually find the spoon method can be effective enough without too much attrition. Using flat wooden chopsticks or, ideally, tweezers, remove the yellow–orange urchin tongues and dip them into the brine. Swish them through the liquid to remove any impurities, then place them onto a damp cloth for storage. Grill the sourdough over coals or fire until the toast gets a slight char, then lavish the butter onto one side. Place two tongues (if using short-spine urchins) per piece of toast before finishing with flake salt. A pickle or two served on the side would most definitely not go astray.

Drinks pairing:

2017 Terada Honke Daigo no Shizuku sake, Japan ($75) – Mike Bennie, wine and drinks journalist