Ahh... balone!

Went diving for abalone this past weekend.

On the small side.

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My friend Carissa came along with lamb roast, great wines, coppa, humus, homemade chutney...

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Um, isn't that over the 3 abalone limit? Just curious, I know these are tightly regulated... used to be able to dive for them off the cliffs where we lived in Point Loma but it's been restricted (banned) for decades now.

John
 
I want those shells. They make wonderful nuts and saddles for guitars. A super-major-bitch to work with but they are so damned pretty. And hard. They last a very long time.
 
How is abalone grilled? Is it prepped like portobello mushrooms?
Looks savory, especially with good wine.

I have three favorite ways of preparing them.

Slice paper thin and flash sauté them in butter, garlic, soy sauce, black pepper and a little bit of white wine.

Sliced paper thin, cayenne pepper, ginger and a little bit of soy sauce. Eaten raw.

Slice into 1/4 inch steaks, pound, bread with Italian bread crumbs, sauté in butter.
 
Um, isn't that over the 3 abalone limit? Just curious, I know these are tightly regulated... used to be able to dive for them off the cliffs where we lived in Point Loma but it's been restricted (banned) for decades now.

John

Three is the limit, minimum 7 inches and you can only get the reds north of the Golden Gate.

I took couple of beginners, so we didn't get into deeper water where the big ones are.
 
I want those shells. They make wonderful nuts and saddles for guitars. A super-major-bitch to work with but they are so damned pretty. And hard. They last a very long time.

Pay for shipping and I'll send them to you. They are kinda heavy.

One has couple of semi pearls on them. I also found 3 teeny tiny black pearls too.
 
wow, if that's on the small side, i can't imagine what big ones would look like. that is amazing. up here in the NW, they come with very high price tag and they're babies compared to those in size. i've only eaten them raw or in a soup.

just bought a boat last fall...i'm thinking i shoulda bought a scuba gear. :D
 
wow, if that's on the small side, i can't imagine what big ones would look like. that is amazing. up here in the NW, they come with very high price tag and they're babies compared to those in size. i've only eaten them raw or in a soup.

just bought a boat last fall...i'm thinking i shoulda bought a scuba gear. :D

You can't use scuba gear down here in California. It's all free dive and the regulations and gear are closely regulated.

Those are 7-8+ inches. Since I took some beginners, we didn't go in to deeper water, where they get to 9-11+ inches. You can't buy wild California abalone. Abs from other countries typically go for $70 a pound. Just the meat on a good sized one will weigh 3-4+ pounds.
 
Ah, got it... wondered if there weren't others in the dive party.

My wife's brother & Dad used to bring abalone home with them regularly when they went diving here in San Diego. (pre-regulatory days). Cooked up just like you said, beaten tender & sauteed. Back then, guys used to go door-to-door selling those or spiny lobsters they'd caught in the Point Loma area.

Last time I had abalone was in Hong Kong, but they were much smaller ones - want to say they were green abalone but it was years ago.

John

Three is the limit, minimum 7 inches and you can only get the reds north of the Golden Gate.

I took couple of beginners, so we didn't get into deeper water where the big ones are.
 
Here are some pics from a previous trip to show how thick they can get.

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This is how it looks naturally inside.

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This one I cleaned using muriatic acid from my pool. The acid cleaned off the barnacles and stuff to show it's true color. Underneath the red it looks like the inside.

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those are beautiful!

we've been harvesting all sorts of shellfish up here in the puget sound area over the last 20 years. geoducks, dungenes crabs, shrimps, mussels, clams, urchins, and etc, but never the abalone. the pinto abalone we have around here has almost become extinct, and i think it's illegal to harvest anytime anywhere.

you should enjoy those while you can...you never know what'll happen soon. i heard that california coast is the only place for those giant pink abalone.
 
those are beautiful!

we've been harvesting all sorts of shellfish up here in the puget sound area over the last 20 years. geoducks, dungenes crabs, shrimps, mussels, clams, urchins, and etc, but never the abalone. the pinto abalone we have around here has almost become extinct, and i think it's illegal to harvest anytime anywhere.

you should enjoy those while you can...you never know what'll happen soon. i heard that california coast is the only place for those giant pink abalone.

These shown are actually red abalone. I've found black and green which are considerably smaller and can not be picked. When I first started abbing the limit was 4 with a yearly limit of 100 and that was 25 years ago.

I don't remember exactly when it changed to 3 with a yearly catch of 25. Years before that the catch was 10. Which I think is outrageous and even the 100 per year limit was way to generous and not sustainable. I only go out once or twice a year.

It takes about 7 years for one to grow to the minimum harvesting size. They grow about an inch a year. What's weird is I've never seen a red abalone smaller than 6 inches.

I have family up in Washington so I've gone clamming, oyster picking and fishing. I know how great it can be.
 
Looks like you had a great, fun time --and a really nice picnic! :thmbsp:

...
Last time I had abalone was in Hong Kong, but they were much smaller ones - want to say they were green abalone but it was years ago.

John

I can confirm that abalone is still VERY popular here in Hong Kong! :yes: The regular canned stuff is in most regular supermarkets, and sells well, despite the cost. Super-Premium abalone is found in specialty stores and better restaurants. Chinese traditionally (culturally) are almost obsessed with foods, and are really willing to spend on delicacies. Most banquets (weddings, etc...) include abalone as one course. A few of my friends are avid abalone "freaks", and willingly spend a lot on the stuff.

Personally? Not my favorite seafood by far, though, and given the price, I usually choose something else if I'm ordering. Those shells sure are beautiful, though, and the fun of diving for them oneself would definitely be worth it!
 
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Those do look appetizing. I have one shell I brought back from Okinawa in 1974 when I was stationed there at Kadena. We used to go snorkeling and dive for those and spear fish to cook and eat on the beach. We used to get them at around 40 or so feet of water.
 
Those do look appetizing. I have one shell I brought back from Okinawa in 1974 when I was stationed there at Kadena. We used to go snorkeling and dive for those and spear fish to cook and eat on the beach. We used to get them at around 40 or so feet of water.

My family was stationed on Okinawa between 75-77. We used to pick some small types of the rocks in a couple feet of water. We would flip them over a camp fire and cook them in their shell. Very tasty!
 
There were also a bunch of other edible things out there.

Perwinkles, a sea snail which is very tasty. Tastes kinda like a clam.

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Saw a bunch of opihi (limpets) a delicacy on Hawaii. Tastes like the ocean. Didn't pick any. Photos off the web.

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