The sea cucumber is very used in the Asiatic kitchen, being a delicacy in countries like China, Japan and Malesia. In our traditional gastronomy, there is no known use to this specialty, but it is starting to be more liked in the Spanish kitchen, where after prepared, it is extracted an internal membrane, to the delight off all that have tried it. They call it the “Espadeñas”. Do you enjoy new gastronomic experiences? If you want to try, we are here for that!

It can be short or long. That is how we learned it 40 years ago in Vila do Bispo, once the capital of the sea barnacle sale, on the Vicentina coast. “Percebereiro”, that’s how the Nobel and peculiar profession of these heroes of the sea is called, that climb rocky cliffs, jump between rocks, go down on ropes with just one purpose: bring to us the one considered by many the king. From the Vicentina Coast to the Berlengas, what matters is freshness. The fresher, the more elegant and soft and smooth is the flavour. But we can only catch this delicacy when the tides are favourable and when we have full or new moon

On the outside, the difference between this urchin and the common sea urchin is, naturally, the size of their spikes, but also their global sizes and taste. The short spiked sea urchin has a more light and sweet flavour. Its capture is hard and demanding, as they are also collected manually by experienced divers, but these ones live farer away from the coast. The good weather and the sea decide when we can have these gems.