Abalone Origins
Abalone is a sea snail or marine gastropod mollusc. It is found mostly attached to rocks in cold and dark seawaters in many geographical locations but is also aquatically cultivated onshore in many countries including the United States of America. Wild abalone is reported to have a stronger sea flavour than abalone which has been farmed.
Commonly known as perlemoen in South Africa and ormers in the Channel Islands and Brittany, red abalone especially is prized globally as a rare and unique delicacy. Due to its very slow rate of growth and the generally high market demand, there are now strict regulations in many countries governing the times when it may be harvested. It also remains illegal in most countries for non-licensed vendors to remove abalone from the ocean.
Abalone Characteristics
Abalone has a single flat shell with corrugated edges, rather in the shape of an ear but with a flat wide opening, unlike the shells of land-based snails. Part of the Haliotidae family, perlemoen is of scientific name Haliotis midae.
This herbivorous snail moves by means of a large muscular ‘foot’, that moves in a wave-like motion, and it uses its foot to trap kelp and red and green algae for food.
Abalone Uses
The unshelled abalone looks a little like an oyster with sometimes a slit in between resembling well… lets not go there now. It is considered a real rare delicacy fetching a high price tag. Freshly caught Abalone requires tenderisation and then may be simply pan- fried quickly in butter, similar to cooking scallops, or breaded and sautéed and served with a wedge of lemon. Long and slow cooking processes work well too if additional tenderising is required. It is commonly enjoyed as raw sashimi and in other similar Japanese-style food presentations.
People describe the flavour of abalone as extremely rich, with a salty and almost buttery flavour experience with a texture that is chewy and reminiscent to that of squid and scallops and a slight crunchiness when raw.
Commercially, abalone is available as a live seafood delicacy in its shell or frozen. The smaller abalone seems to be used in the manufacture of packaged foods like congee and it is also preserved in oil and canned.
Although the outside shell is dull and uninviting, the inner shell is absolutely gorgeous, lined with mother of pearl with streaks of blue and green. This shell is very valuable too and is used in jewellery and decorative ornaments. One can even buy abalone shells on Amazon, making abalone valuable for both food and decoration purpose.
Abalone Benefits
Abalone is referred to the ginseng of the sea as it’s rich in energising taurine and is particularly popular across Asia because of its reputed nutritional, cultural and medicinal value. Certain Asian cultures believe that abalone functions as an aphrodisiac.
