Sea Urchin season in St Lucia

October 1, 6:52 AMCaribbean Travel ExaminerLea Ann Fessenden

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Cracked sea urchin/Wikipedia Commons/Portum

I'm constantly amazed by the resourcefulness of the people of the Caribbean. And even more amazed by the ancient practices and traditions that are still very much alive today. One of those traditions is the annual hunt for sea urchins. Black or white spiny urchins come closer to the shore this time of the year and locals love to dive for them. After a five year ban on sea urching hunting by the St Lucia government, a three day season has opened today and small fishing boats will be swarming the nearby waters for these local delicacies.

The process of preparing them for eating is quite lengthy. According to divers, the urchin's hard, wicked, spiny shell must be cracked in order to remove the interior meat. These shells must be safely buried deep in the sand after being cracked to prevent beach-goers from getting a serious gash in the foot if they happen to tread on one. Another reason for the "six-feet-under" rule is that these things have a foul smell once opened that will forever ruin anyone's desire to ever want to eat one, once smelled!

I'm hoping to witness the cooking ritual this weekend and bring you some good photographs. The meat is steamed on the beach on an open pit fire by using the shells as a steamer basket. Something about poking a hole and propping it up with a stick...we'll see. I'm hoping it tastes like a mussel. What about you? What interesting delicacies from the sea have you tried? Share your stories with me in the comment section below. As always, I look forward to your comments and opinions.

For another healthy addition to your diet, try sea moss. Sea moss is a delicious way to deliver all of the minerals your body needs as well as many other nutritional benefits of the sea. To read more about sea moss, read my earlier article on the subject.