Ingredients
Abalone
Other Names: Aliótis (Greek); awaby, tokobushi (Japanese); deniz kulagi (Turkish); green ormer (Great Britain); orecchia marina (Italian); oreille de mer, ormeau (French); oreja de mar (Spanish); seeohr (German). Haliotidae.
General Description: Abalone is a delicious, expensive, rare single-shelled mollusk; its large, strong foot is the edible meat. Its iridescent inner shell is used as mother of pearl. Unfortunately, wild abalone has been decimated worldwide. The red abalone (Haliotis rufescens) is most common in the United States from aquafarms in California and wild from Mexico. Black abalone (H. cracheroddi) is found off San Miguel Island in southern California. Abalones grown in onshore saltwater pens or suspended cages take 3 to 4 years to reach market size of 4 to 6 whole abalone per pound.
Locale and Season: More than 15 species of abalone are now farmed worldwide; China and Taiwan produce more than 90 percent. Farmed abalone is in season year-round.
Characteristics: Wild abalones average 12 inches, with meat averaging 1 pound. Farmed abalone is much smaller, at 2 to 4 inches, and is more tender. Cooked abalone is white to cream, moist, tender, and mild, with sweet flavor.
How to Choose: Live abalones should be lively and stick hard to the tank. If the foot muscle doesn’t move or the flesh dents where touched, the animal is dead or nearly dead. Frozen abalone meat should be firm and ivorycolored. When thawed, it has almost no aroma. Abalone that is larger than 4 inches across is likely wild and may have been poached. It should be rejected to discourage environmentally destructive poaching. Circular, streaked cuttlefish mantles may be sold as abalone steaks. These are put through a meat tenderizer before sale, so look for cut marks as a clue.
Storage: Fresh abalone is highly perishable and should be cooked the same day it is purchased. Keep on ice and refrigerate until ready to cook. Defrost frozen abalone overnight in the refrigerator.
Preparation:
1. Shuck live abalone by sticking a wide spatula between the meat and the shell and removing the meat. Trim
off the organs and fringe.
2. Using a meat slicer, slice abalone muscle thinly crosswise. Or freeze until firm, slice thinly by hand, and pound each slice with a mallet or the side of a cleaver using persistent, firm strikes, flattening to 1/4 inch thick.
NOTE: Cook abalone less than 1 minute on a side in hot oil. Overcooked abalone will quickly toughen.
Suggested Recipe: Stir-Fried Abalone with Cucumber (serves 4): Cut 1 pound abalone into thin steaks, pound until flattened, and then cut into 1-inch-wide strips. Mix 2 tablespoons rice wine with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sugar, and salt to taste. Cut 1 large seeded cucumber into thin half moons. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok and stir-fry the cucumber 2 minutes; add the abalone and stir-fry 1 minute. Pour the sauce into the wok and heat through. Serve over white rice.
Flavor Affinities: Basil, capers, cilantro, coconut, cucumber, dill, ginger, lemon, mint, olive oil, oyster sauce, rice wine, scallion, sesame, soy sauce, tomato, white wine, wild lime.
from Quirk Books: www.quirkbooks.com
