Abalone

ABALONE; Abalone are a species of shellfish (a mollusc) other mollusca are snails, clams, squid, cuttlefish and octopus are to name a  few.Abalone have a rich colored inside of the shell often called ear-shell because of it’s shape, or the more common name to us as “paua shell” in New Zealand. The meat of the Abalone is considered a delicacy. Abalone are mostly found in cold waters of New Zealand, South Africa & Australia, also China, Taiwan, Japan & Chili. Green lip & black lip are found around our shores, from mid NSW down & around to WA. The Abalone is very versatile in that the shell, mother-of-pearl is also widely used in jewelery.

The harvesting of the Abalone is very protected hence the cost of the product. Very strong laws are in place to protect the species. So do check for the season dates.If you are lucky enough to get the mollusc at a good price, two to three times the cost of eye fillet then you will need toprepare the Abalone as follows. Remove the meat from the shell with a small knife cutting along the shell & releasing the muscle. Lay the Abalone down, trim off the intestines & the frilly skirt, then brush away the dark coating from the base to reveal the white flesh. This white flesh is what you can eat and needs to be cut thin and against the grain, it is often butterfly cut. Some say to pound the meat with a mallet to tenderize it but I’m not so sure about that. The abalone meat is best cooked quickly in a hot pan for a few seconds just like you would for scallops, although you can gently simmer for a lot longer until it becomes tender.

It is also available in the can or dried. Dried will require four hours soaking. The canned product is already cooked & can be sliced and used directly, also the juice from the tin can also be used.