Fresh Abalone- it doesn't get any better than this

Yesterday my brother brought me some Dungeness crab and an abalone that they got over the weekend. We had the crab last night for dinner and tonight I tackled the abalone. I should have taken some pictures of removing and cleaning the abalone but my hands were so slimy and gunky I didn't want to touch the camera. Don't let that slimy gunky turn you off it is so worth the effort.

To remove the abalone from the shell you will need a large spoon or wooden spatula, I used a rice paddle. You need something you can get between the abalone and the shell and pry it out. Think of getting the flesh out of a clam shell only a lot larger and tougher. Once the abalone is removed from the shell trim off the gut sac. I used a sponge with a rough scrub side. There is a black film on the outside edge that needs to scrubbed off. I use the scrub sponge and some salt as an abrasive to scrub off as much of the black as I can. This isn't really easy to clean since the abalone is really slippery. After it is all cleaned I cut the abalone in half so I have a flat surface to work with as I trim.
Trim off all the hard pieces around the edge and any other hard pieces. Then carefully slice off the brown leathery looking side. Once the abalone has been cleaned it can be sliced into steaks or sashimi pieces.

For steaks slice the abalone about a 1/4" thick. After all the abalone has been sliced, pound the abalone with spiky side of the mallet to tenderize. Pound both sides until tender.


After all the steaks have been pounded I dredge them in flour, egg then flour again. You can season the flour as you wish. I saute/fry in a mix of olive oil and butter. Have the oil hot so it can quickly brown the abalone. If cooked too long the abalone will get tough. You probably want to cook only a minute or two per side. Serve with a squeeze of lemon.
For the sashimi slice thinly and serve with wasabi, lemon and soy sauce.


Fresh crab and fresh abalone you just can't beat it.