British Columbia · Canada
Mesocentrotus franciscanus
The Pacific Giant Red, the largest and sweetest sea urchin in the world. Diver-harvested in the Salish Sea, processed live within 24 hours, packed fresh in Salish Sea water. No preservatives. No chemical dyes. No bleaching agents. No alum. The clean expression of the species, delivered chef-ready with a 30-day refrigerated shelf life.
Origin & Heritage
Sea urchin, uni, has been a defining ingredient in Pacific culinary traditions for centuries. The pinnacle of sushi service, the finishing flourish on raw fish, the unctuous fold into pasta. The species behind the world's most prized uni is Mesocentrotus franciscanus, the Pacific Giant Red Sea Urchin, found along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Baja California. Larger, sweeter, and more concentrated than its Atlantic cousins.
The British Columbia fishery operates from the Salish Sea, the protected coastal waters between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland. Sea urchins are hand-harvested by trained divers working from small boats, selecting only mature animals from the seabed. The fishery is small, exacting, and recognised as sustainable by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program and by Canadian Oceanwise.
From dive boat to processing facility in Vancouver, the urchins move within 24 hours, live, never frozen at this stage. The roe (uni) is hand-extracted, hand-cleaned, and packed in fresh Salish Sea water that has been sand-filtered and UV-treated. No preservatives. No bleaching agents. No alum. The product arrives at chef counters in the United States within 48 hours of catch, with a 30-day refrigerated shelf life. Atlantissea brings this fishery to professional kitchens across the United States.
Product profile
Mesocentrotus franciscanus, the Pacific Giant Red, produces the largest, brightest, sweetest uni roe of any harvested sea urchin species. The lobes are firm enough to hold their shape on the spoon, sweet enough to carry the marine intensity without becoming muddy, and consistently coloured from a clear vivid orange to a deep saffron gold. Where alum-treated uni delivers a flatter, more processed flavour, this fishery's all-natural preparation preserves the live brightness of the urchin itself.
The 30-day refrigerated shelf life is the commercial difference. Fresh-pasteurised and packed in Salish Sea water, the product holds its texture and flavour through service-week cycles in restaurant kitchens, a meaningful operational gain over the standard 5-7 day shelf life of unpasteurised uni from competing programs. Suited to sushi service, gunkanmaki, oyster topping, pasta finishing, eggs, and tasting-menu finishing applications.
Culinary techniques
Commercial data sheet
British Columbia · Canada
Tray-packed in fresh Salish Sea water. Sushi-grade A-tier roe. Suited to fine-dining sushi counters and chef-driven raw bar programs.
Same preparation, larger tray volume. Suited to high-volume sushi programs, pasta-finishing volumes, and tasting-menu kitchens.
Tray sizes and grade tiers configured per program. Available to qualifying foodservice and distribution accounts.
Who we work with
Atlantissea sells directly to professional buyers. Whether you run a restaurant, manage a distribution network, or source for a hospitality group, the conversation starts here.
Direct sourcing for professional kitchens looking for a premium, differentiated product. We work with fine dining, contemporary, and high-volume restaurants across the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and Europe.
We work with regional and specialty food distributors looking to add a differentiated premium seafood to their portfolio. Pallet quantities. Consistent supply. Full commercial and compliance documentation provided.
Volume programs for hotel groups, resort kitchens, catering operations, and cruise lines. Reliable supply, standardised formats, and dedicated account management across all served markets.
From the Salish Sea to your kitchen
A small, exacting British Columbia fishery built on diver harvest, fast cold chain, and an explicit refusal to use the chemical preservatives that dominate the global uni trade.
Trained divers working from small boats hand-select mature urchins from the seabed in the Salish Sea. Recognised sustainable by Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch and Canadian Oceanwise.
Same-day delivery from dive boat to processing facility in Vancouver. Urchins remain alive throughout, never frozen at this stage.
Live urchins opened by hand, roe (uni) extracted, shells and spines removed. Each lobe inspected for grade, colour, and integrity.
Roe washed in sand-filtered, UV-treated Salish Sea water, then packed fresh in the same water. No preservatives. No chemical dyes. No bleaching agents. No alum. The "all natural" claim is literal.
Pasteurised for 30-day refrigerated shelf life. Dispatched chilled. Arrives at US chef counters within 48 hours of catch.
Culinary inspiration
A selection of culinary directions developed for professional kitchens. Full recipe cards and plating notes available on request.
Lobe over hand-pressed sushi rice, soy, wasabi. The benchmark sushi service. Lobe firmness holds shape across high-volume counter rotations.
Sushi rice wrapped in nori, uni mounded on top. Holds against citrus-soy and yuzu without breaking. Plates fast across high-volume sushi counters.
Capellini or spaghetti finished off the heat with uni, lemon, white wine, and finishing oil. The classic uni-pasta technique. Heat must be off the plate before final fold.
A spoon of uni atop a freshly shucked oyster. Marine on marine. A textbook tasting-menu opener.
Brioche or sourdough toast, butter, uni lobe, finishing salt. Modern brunch and bar-snack service.
Spoon of uni atop tuna, salmon, or hamachi tartare. Adds creaminess and marine sweetness without altering the dish underneath.
Why source from Atlantissea
We import directly from the producer. No intermediaries. That means better pricing control, full traceability, and a direct line to the source for every commercial question.
Product is held in the United States. No waiting on international shipments for every order. We supply on your timeline, not ours.
US FDA and FSMA compliant. Origin documentation, health certificates, and all commercial paperwork provided as standard. No surprises at customs or in your receiving process.
Built on over two decades of sourcing, fine dining supply, and international trade. We understand what professional buyers need because we have worked inside those environments ourselves.
Ready to order
Tell us your region, your volume, and your timeline. We will come back to you with a direct commercial proposal.