Aussie Abalone

While in Australia I had the wonderful opportunity to try something new – Abalone. Abalone is a mollusc and therefore seafood. If you live in Britton you may know them as Ormer and if you are a South African you know them as Perlemoen . My brothers went diving for these just off the beach with nothing more than a snorkel and a knife. They brought them home and stuck them in a cool box  under ice until they were ready to clean them. I found it fascinating watching them clean each abalone carefully and place them in the bowl ready for the next stage.

Matt did a great job cleaning. When he was finished I could not believe how many there were to cook. 

Then it was Steve’s turn to lay them out and give them a good bruising. He told me you have to beat them around a bit, other wise they are very tough. 

Now they were ready to be dipped in flour, egg and flour again and then deep-fried. The end result (as seen in the 1st photo) was enjoyed by the whole family and it did not take long before the plate was empty. They were served with sweet chilli sauce and soy sauce. I was a little nervous to try them as I have some weird allergies, two of which are seafood. But I was told they have the texture of calamari and the taste of a prawn, neither of which I am allergic to and both I happen to love! So I tried a bite, to be on the safe side, and really enjoyed it. So next time I will eat a whole one as one bite caused no allergic reaction!

Thanks to the 4 divers, cleaners and cooks who made this starter possible!