Sea urchins (oursins) have only been cultivated on Ile de Ré since 2006, but their story starts in the 1970s. Back then agronomist Pierre Le Gall, driven by a passion to save the sea urchin which had all but disappeared from French waters, worked in a laboratory perfecting the technique of cultivating the small sea creature that is highly susceptible to stress and noise. He, however, never made it out of the lab – it was his son Yvan who finally put his father’s theory into practice.
Today the sea urchin larvae are grown in a laboratory with the water carefully controlled. The water off Ile de Ré is of such high quality and contains enough fresh algae on which the sea urchins exclusively feed, that the creatures have the best chance of surviving the three years it takes them to reach 50mm in size, when they can be harvested. Yvan also releases some into the sea as part of an effort to repopulate the waters off the Atlantic coast with sea urchins.
The small creatures can be found on plates of fruits de mer in restaurants. The top will have been sliced off, revealing the golden roe that is considered a delicacy (in Japan it is often used in sushi). It has a creamy taste that is a mix of brininess and sweetness. You can eat it on its own or it is also used to creates sauces and added to omelettes. Yvan Le Gall can be found at the small town of La Flotte en Ré. There you can taste sea urchins while taking in the beautiful sea views from his terrace. He also sells jars of the roe. For more information see TripAdvisor.