# Favorite abalone dishes?



## pace (Dec 4, 2010)

First post, apologies if it ends up in the wrong place.

Okay, I've taken on the task of preparing 7 individual dishes for everyone in my family for the upcoming holiday, I also would like to surprise each of them. My uncle recently got out of the hospital dodging a pretty big bullet so I wanted to make something particularly special for him. He's Japanese and loves abalone, but I have no idea where to start. 

So... This is a multi-part question, here goes: 

First the easy part. What are some of your (or the) favorite ways to enjoy abalone and if anyone happens to know, what are some of the most popular traditional Japanese methods of preparation?

Being from northern California it seems as though there's no shortage of species which live around the state, but I was wondering what varieties I might currently be able to buy fresh around here and also of those what is generally the most preferred? 

Thanks.


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## Zereh (Dec 4, 2010)

Even though I am a confessed seafood lover I had to look these up; I've not had them. Yet!


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## PrincessFiona60 (Dec 4, 2010)

I have never had Abalone!  Sorry, no help here.


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## babetoo (Dec 4, 2010)

i like it just simply fried or rather sautéed. it takes very little time. over cooking makes it tough. sometimes i pound it first.


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## Kayelle (Dec 4, 2010)

I havn't had abalone for years.  Do you have a source for abalone, Pace? If so, I hope they are farmed.  It has been illegal to remove them from the California coast since 1994.
I'm sure he would enjoy another seafood choice.


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## pace (Dec 4, 2010)

Kayelle said:


> I havn't had abalone for years.  Do you have a source for abalone, Pace? If so, I hope they are farmed.  It has been illegal to remove them from the California coast since 1994.
> I'm sure he would enjoy another seafood choice.




No, I have no clue where to get them I just know they're around here legally somewhere. I did wonder if that law was still in effect though. I did see abalone on the menu at a nearby restaurant and I know there are farms not so far away. There are also a few Asian fish markets that sell stuff you don't see at some other places. My plan was to start looking there.... but it's true that it might be too difficult to find and maybe I should think of a backup. There also the option to purchase it online from a farm, but I'd rather not go that route.


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## pace (Dec 4, 2010)

babetoo said:


> i like it just simply fried or rather sautéed. it takes very little time. over cooking makes it tough. sometimes i pound it first.



Funny, the one recipe I have been given by a family member was for pretty much that.

Is it particularly easy to overcook?


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## Kayelle (Dec 4, 2010)

Pace, why not consider Calamari Steaks?  Squid is a fraction of the cost of abalone, the texture is similar and so is the flavor. Another important plus, at least to me, is squid is a sustainable seafood.  Fried Calamari steaks dredged in flour, egg, and Panko breadcrumbs is really delicious.


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## babetoo (Dec 4, 2010)

pace said:


> Funny, the one recipe I have been given by a family member was for pretty much that.
> 
> Is it particularly easy to overcook?


 

it fries up very quickly.  you can judge by the edges. if they are even slightly brown, turn over . don't know how to tell you any other way. it is like most fish . easy does it.


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## mollyanne (Dec 4, 2010)

I remember when I was 20-something, my husband and I would dive for abalone off the coast of Baja and SoCal. Then, I hate to admit it but I would first tenderize the abalone by pounding it with a mallet, then dredge it in egg, then coat it with crushed Bar-b-que Fritoes, then fry it in hot canola oil, and finally drizzle fresh lemon juice on it....we loved it!

But a classier, Japanese method would be to slowly-cook the abalone strips and serve with _kimizu_ – a Japanese hollandaise made of rice wine vinegar, sugar, soy, dashi and _karashi_ (mustard with horseradish) mixed with egg yolks. Serve with crunchy, pickled greens that included carrot, _daikon_, _negi_ and Japanese potato:

...oh, and give that lucky uncle of yours a big hug...family is so special
.
.


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## mollyanne (Dec 4, 2010)

The photo credit for post #10 is a Japanese-style abalone dish by german chef Christian Bau at "Victor's Gourmet Restaurant Schloss Berg" in Perl-Nennig.


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## pace (Dec 5, 2010)

mollyanne said:


> I remember when I was 20-something, my husband and I would dive for abalone off the coast of Baja and SoCal. Then, I hate to admit it but I would first tenderize the abalone by pounding it with a mallet, then dredge it in egg, then coat it with crushed Bar-b-que Fritoes, then fry it in hot canola oil, and finally drizzle fresh lemon juice on it....we loved it!
> 
> But a classier, Japanese method would be to slowly-cook the abalone strips and serve with _kimizu_ – a Japanese hollandaise made of rice wine vinegar, sugar, soy, dashi and _karashi_ (mustard with horseradish) mixed with egg yolks. Serve with crunchy, pickled greens that included carrot, _daikon_, _negi_ and Japanese potato:
> 
> ...



Barbeque fritos, that sounds so amazing, but yeah, probably a bit to wild. 

The other one sounds like a handful but it's exactly the type of thing I was looking for, thank you so much.

And while I'm not much of a hugger, I will be sure to give him one hell of a fist bump.


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## pace (Dec 5, 2010)

Kayelle said:


> Pace, why not consider Calamari Steaks?  Squid is a fraction of the cost of abalone, the texture is similar and so is the flavor. Another important plus, at least to me, is squid is a sustainable seafood.  Fried Calamari steaks dredged in flour, egg, and Panko breadcrumbs is really delicious.




Well, my uncle tends to have what you might call traditional Japanese ideas about food, like the kind of stuff you see on Iron Chef where things like shark fin and abalone are perfectly okay, despite cruelty or sustainability, but I do agree with you and I am not set in stone. Frankly, the kind of thing that would be perfect to make would be dishes that his mother made for him when he was growing up, which most certainly wouldn't be abalone, but only if they were done in exactly the same way, which is information that's hard to glean without letting people know what you're up too. I appreciate what you're saying though and squid might be a good idea, so I will check on it and if that's not a good pick, I'll see if maybe there isn't something else.


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## Claire (Dec 5, 2010)

It has been many moons since I had abalone, and I remember it was very tough.  I think the Japanese preparation for it that I know of is in sushi or sashimi type dishes.  Sometimes marinaded but not cooked.  WHat I did with it (and remember, I'm 55 and did this in high school, back then I'd never eat it raw, am not sure if I would now) was make a New England style chowder with it, which is not what you're looking for.  But look for a recipe for something like tako (a marinaded octopus dish) and that might work.


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## powerplantop (Dec 5, 2010)

Steamed Abalone or Mushi Awabi. 

Practical Japanese Cooking has a recipe, I have not tried it but it should work.

Google this and you should be able to find the recipe.
practical japanese cooking steamed abalone

Abalone in the US is very expensive.


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## Zhizara (Dec 5, 2010)

Since Abalone is a tough meat, I would grind it and use it in fritters and soup like Conch is used.  I bet that would be delicious.  Not traditional, but worth a try anyway.

For those who love seafood and haven't tried Conch, it's a wonderful different shellfish flavor.


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