For many decades, abalone was available locally only in cans. But now, with the availability of fresh abalone grown by Big Island Abalone Corp., cooks can attempt all sorts of delicious preparations. "A Splash of Aloha" offers a few recipes, courtesy of chef/instructor Alan Tsuchiyama.
The chef offers a few reassuring tips for those intimidated by this seafood.
"The product is so excellent it’s hard to go wrong," he said. "Maybe people haven’t worked with fresh abalone before because there was none, but many folks have worked with tako (octopus) and opihi. Go back to how you treat other seafood — you can do that with abalone."
That means raw, as in poke style; flash-cooked, as with scallops or calamari; or stir-fried and braised, like clams. Octopus is also braised to soften the meat.
The key with abalone, Tsuchiyama says, is not to overcook it.
"It will turn into a rubber band," he said. "If you overcook it, it’s best to braise it."
Season any preparation the way you would any other seafood.
With larger abalone, Tsuchiyama suggests staying away from breading and frying; thinly slicing and flash-cooking the meat will keep it tender.
"Cook abalone medium-rare," he said. "If you do abalone like that, oh, my God, it’s beautiful."
GRILLED KONA ABALONE WITH HOT MISO SAUCE
Alan Tsuchiyama, “A Splash of Aloha”
1/2 tablespoon sake
2 teaspoons mirin
2 tablespoons white miso
1-1/2 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dry hot mustard (Japanese, Chinese or English)
1 pound abalone (small to medium size)
1/2 tablespoon shoyu
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 piece Hawaiian chili pepper or Thai chili pepper, minced (or to taste)
To make miso sauce, in small saucepan, bring sake and mirin to a boil. Add miso and sugar, and cook for a minute until sugar has melted. Stir constantly to keep miso from burning. Remove from heat.
In small bowl, slowly add rice vinegar to mustard until soft paste is formed. Mix until smooth. Stir mustard and remaining vinegar into miso mixture. Set aside.
In bowl large enough to hold abalone, rinse abalone under cold running water. Place abalone shell side down on grill.
In small bowl, mix shoyu, sugar and chili pepper. Drizzle mixture over grilling abalone.
When the abalone begins to boil in its shell, remove from grill and top with small amount of miso sauce. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 170 calories, 1 g fat, no saturated fat, 95 mg cholesterol, 730 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 9 g sugar, 21 g protein
