Looking for an abalone.
Abalone is a gastropod found in most of the world’s oceans and is enjoyed as a culinary delicacy among the Japanese and West Coast residents of the United States, among others. Due to concerns about overharvesting, many nations have limits on the amount that can be harvested, and some businessmen have opened abalone farms so they can be legally harvested and sold. Like other edible gastropods, the part that is eaten is the large, muscular foot, which makes up most of the body.
Piece of abalone meat.
An abalone is univalve, meaning it has one shell, rather than two symmetrical shells like clams and oysters. The shell is a slightly flattened, ear-like whorl with a slightly raised apex in the center of the whorl. Along one edge of the shell are small holes to facilitate breathing, and the creature hides within the shell, clinging to rocks with its foot as it searches for algae and other food sources. If the abalone can be plucked from a rock, the entire bottom of the foot will be exposed. The interior of a shell resembles mother-of-pearl and is often used for ornamental purposes in jewelry and inlays, while the exterior of the shell is reddish-brown. Most harbor algae and smaller mollusks in their shells for camouflage.
Haliot shell exterior.
Abalone reproduce by releasing eggs or sperm into open water. Usually large groups gather in one place to do this, which increases the exchange of fertilization. The fertilized eggs form larvae called veligers, which wander the ocean for about two weeks until they hatch into abalone hatchlings and seek out rocks to make their homes. If they grow to maturity, they can become quite large and will develop interesting occlusions in their shells as a result of encounters with rocks and other organisms.
abalone buttons.
In many regions, there is a size limit for abalone to prevent the capture of juveniles. The size limit varies depending on local regulations, and many areas also have a general catch limit that an angler cannot exceed in a season. Farmed abalone are not subject to these regulations. In any case, once one has been plucked from a rock, it must be peeled and trimmed, leaving behind the edible foot.
haliot shells
Since the foot is a muscle, it must be softened before being eaten. Most cooks tenderize the entire foot by pounding it with mallets before slicing it thin and pounding it again. A classic preparation method involves breading and frying, but some adventurous cooks add it to pasta sauces or make sushi out of the rich white meat. Breaded and fried abalone is delicious hot or cold, served with a lemon wedge, and is a popular meal in California in particular.