On Point

A small—and prickly—creature is now the star of the show on Santa Barbara’s high-end menus.

- Natalie Zimmerman

Diving for sea urchins off the coast of Santa Barbara, California.

AS I HELD THE spiny purple sea urchin in my hand, it lightly poked my finger. My guide at the Cultured Abalone Farm, a sustainable seafood farm in Santa Barbara, California, was explaining how the facility works: skilled divers head out just off the coast to collect the sea creatures, which are then fattened in saltwater tanks before harvesting. The part of the urchin known as uni, or “edible gold,” is prized by fine-dining restaurants and distributors for its sweet yellow flesh.