abalone diving

Today considered one of the delicacies from the sea, I often times wonder who was the first human to try eating an abalone. Perhaps it was akin to chewing on a hide in the attempt to make it pliable for clothing and such. Chew, chew, and chew some more.

Or perhaps that first adventurous diner got so frustrated with this nearly inedible mass of flesh that he (she?) grabbed a piece of driftwood and whacked the abalone into submission - literally.    

I am one of those lucky people to have met some folks who love to do just that and for that I have been rewarded with many a meal of abalone. It does take some work to get to that sweet reward though. For us it first means a drive out to the coast, followed by a long walk. 

Once on the beach the guys don their wet suits and prepare to hit the water. In California, one must free dive to the bottom of the ocean floor to get the abalone. No air tanks allowed. (I should note here that you must have a California fishing license, an abalone tag and follow all the size, limit, etc. restrictions set forth by the state fish & game.)

While the guys flop around in the water and "hunt" for the "abs" I hang out on the beach. I usually look around for seashells and beach glass and some trash to haul home. Sometimes I build a small fire of driftwood so we have some nice hot coals when the guys get out so we can cook an abalone right on the beach.

Some folks enter the ocean from boats but my friends carry their gear down to and back up from the beach on their backs. They really enjoy their time out in the water, taking their time.

In California, each fisherman is limited to three abalone a day and you can only have three in your possession at any time. You must mark your abalone off on your abalone card and put little tags on all the abs' shells soon after you harvest them. You must transport them still in the shell. You are only allowed to take 24 abalone a year. They must be at least 7-inches in length (you must carry a measuring device - "abalone gauge" - with you to the bottom of the sea). It is illegal to "high grade" which means you can't pry an ab off the bottom, change your mind, and try to put it back in place. 

Those times when we will be cooking one on the beach, we come prepared with a knife, aluminum foil, butter, garlic and an onion. We usually pre-slice the abalone, covering it with some sliced onions, chopped garlic and pats of butter. Wrapped in two or so layers of foil it cooks pretty quickly. Some fresh sourdough bread and a beverage and you're all set.

Before you can cook an abalone you must clean and beat it. I'm not very talented in this regard but you basically pry it out of the shell, and pull all the guts off of it. Then with a sharp knife you carefully cut off all the black, leaving a hard mass of off-white flesh. Most people would slice the abalone and beat each slice, but my friends take an easier route. They whack it whole with their ab iron (the tool you use to pry them off the sea floor rocks) or a piece of wood (driftwood or a two-by-four will work). It's best to wrap them in a cloth before you do the latter to avoid splinters and tearing the meat apart too much. Anyway - they whack it about several times until it starts to feel limp all over. 

After this vigorous tenderizing process, we slice the abalone. Often times we then dip it in a seasoned water-flour mixture, followed by seasoned bread crumbs. Then a quick saute in olive oil. Or the beach aluminum foil method on the barbecue.   

Anyway you fix it it's a wonderful treat.