braised abalones 鲍鱼

I came across live abalones at my Asian fish monger this weekend grocery shopping. I seldom buy them as they tend to be quite small. This time they are larger, but also more expensive at $8.50 each.


They are farmed in California. Growing up in Hong Kong, we were lucky to get to taste the best wild abalones. The best one are dried from wild jumbo abalones.Today those high end dried abalones can easily cost over $500 USD a pound. In addition to the quality and place of origin, they are graded by how many in a catty. The less the pricier. So curb your expectation of $8.50 each farmed abalone. Like a lot of seafood, wild abalones are overfished and are endangered in many locations in the world's oceans that once they once thieved.

i really went to town grocery shopping

abalones, lobster, and clams

I decided to braise the abalones with fish maw, black fungus, dried sea scallops, shiitake mushrooms, and added some clams for good measure

since the braised abalones will take some work, i made a clam lo mein 撈麵 as snack to stem hunger

$17 worth of abalones - i shuck them and clean off the intestine; many cannot imagine eating these slimy slug like creature

dried shiitake mushrooms - these are very fragrant and meaty

japanese dried sea scallops - likely from Hokkaido 北海道

fish maw and black fungus

i hand sliced the braised abalones horizontally to maximize the surface area

i add the clam meat in last so they don't get overcooked

braise them gently under low heat in a korean clay pot until the abalone slices is just tender and absorb the seasoning; if i am preparing to serve this to a number guest, i would have use a good chicken to add a lot more flavor to the broth

this is a classic chinese dish that is a delicacy - although my ingredients are hardly expensive

this is decadent - abalones lo mein 撈麵; lo mein is supposed to just a fast food

more clam lou mein 撈麵...

the clam juice adds incredible depth than otherwise with just oyster sauce

keeping the clams in the shells make for better presentation but more work to eat