Cooking dried abalone is the epitome of Cantonese cuisine. The highest quality abalone depends on a lengthy drying process involving marinating, boiling, smoking, and sun-drying. Despite losing 90% of its weight, dried abalone has increased in price tenfold. Cooking with dried abalone is a challenge for skilled chefs who must control heat and time. This elevates abalone dishes to premium status in Chinese cuisine. The taste expectation of cooked dried abalone as smooth, soft, appetizing, and tender, resembling honeycomb tofu with a jelly-like center.
How to measure unit size of a abalone
In Chinese culture, when people talks about the size of abalone, it is often uses "how many heads" of the abalone. The unit of "heads" are used within the industry and stores. Origin from Hong Kong, due to Hong Kong's abalone consumption, this standard has been extended worldwide. What exactly means is that, it refers to how many abalones there are in one catty (or called kati, a traditional Chinese unit of mass used for weighing food. 1 catty is around 0.605kg). For example, if a batch of one species abalone, weighted 1 catty contains 5 abalones, then the abalone size is 5 head, therefore the smaller the "head" size, the larger is the abalone. Generally speaking, the larger the abalone, the higher the price.
Why is it so expensive
In the past, abalone was dehydrated for better preservation and transportation. When people discovered that dried abalone was more fragrant and aromatic, over time, the wonderful aromatic molecules made the food itself more fresh and mellow.
Dried abalone is abalone that has been cooked and then dried. It is a top-grade delicacy. There are many processes involved in making dried abalone, and the growth time ranges from a few years to decades of time.
Ordinary sun-dried abalone can be simply pickled, boiled and sun-dried, while the production process of candy heart dried abalone is very complicated.
Candy heart
Compared to dried abalone, there's one thing that fresh abalone doesn't have, it's candy heart. Candy heart means that after cooking dried abalone, there will be a layer of sweet liquid in the middle, like half-boiled egg yolk, which tastes like caramel. This is also a characteristic that only top-grade dried abalone has. If you want to find soft-boiled abalone, in addition to buying high-quality dry abalone, you can press the center of the bottom of the dry abalone. If it is a little elastic, then it could be candy heart abalone.
How is it made?
The abalone with its internal organs removed is first marinated in salt, washed and then subjected to the first step of "pre-cooking", which is cooking under strictly controlled temperature of the liquid medium. First, heat the water to a slight boil over a slow fire, add abalone and slowly increase the heat and keep it at 80-90 degrees Celsius. The whole process takes about 2 hours.
Drying is crucial. Pre-dry abalone on a mat under the sun for 2-3 hours daily. After 3 days, string them with cotton thread or place on a bamboo grid in a cool, ventilated area. Avoid intense sunlight. Dry for 1-2 months, adjusting based on abalone size. Outer layer hardens, while inner core ferments slightly, creating a "runny candy heart".
The weight of a piece of fresh abalone will be reduced by about half after drying. The tedious production process also consumes a lot of time and labor costs.
Types
Over 100 types of abalone can be found worldwide, with major production in China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico, the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. Abalone quality, taste, and growth rate are influenced by seawater flow rate, temperature, and water quality, leading to variations in prices between different origins.
Since Chinese culture traditionally does not use western scientific biological classification, therefore Chinese has its own classifications of different types of abalone.
In the Chinese abalone market, when it comes to best of the bests abalones, there are only the three types of Japanese abalone are the best, they are Japanese "net" abalone, Yoshihama abalone and Oma abalone. Of course, there are other dried abalone such as South African, Middle East, or Australian abalone, as well as from Mexico and Chile. Although the price is cheaper, the texture and taste cannot compare to these Japanese abalone.
"Net" abalone
The abalone has an oval shape with small edges and a pearl-shaped pillow. If you cut it with a knife, you can see that the cross section of the fish has a net-like pattern.
Japanese "net" abalone
The best and most expensive "net" abalone is produced in Aomori Prefecture, Japan, after Chiba Prefecture's seawater in recent years was polluted and abalone cannot be produced, which was the best before that.
Origin from Japan, the "net" abalone is large and clings to the rocks, so it must be taken with a shovel and a net. Its Japanese name "amidoi" means "take from the net", therefore calling it "net" abalone. It is believed that it is the Giant abalone Haliotis (Nordotis) gigantea Gmelin.
Japanese "net" abalone are large, attractive, and dignified. Look for ones with rough lines on the sides, a broad and flat bottom, thick body, pointed tail, and a clear bead-like shape at the pillow's bottom. The characteristic of abalone is its dark brown color, which is due to the heavy sugar content. And because it has a large size and thick meat, it is also the most difficult type of abalone to cook well. It is the top quality when cooked with a smooth texture and the candy part sticks to the knife when cut.
The size ranges from 16-17 "head" to 6-7 "head", depends on the size, the prices range from US$ 2,900 to US$ 6,400 per kg.
Australian "net" abalone
Australian "net" abalone resembles Japanese net abalone, yet has irregular pillow beads. Soaking dried abalone for days is necessary before curing. Australian variety is tougher and less flavorful compared to its Japanese counterpart.
South African "net" abalone
A relatively low-grade "net" abalone, generally does not need to be dried for a long time before being marketed. The meat is more raised and the lace is larger, so it is very popular in Chinese restaurants.
Yoshihama abalone
Yoshihama abalone, a specialty of Iwate Prefecture, looks like a gold ingot, with a dried persimmon color, has a high pillow edge, a tall body and a hard texture. Goro Hirata family is the most famous in producing this.
Abalone from Aomori Prefecture, on the other hand, is smaller, gray-black, and has a softer texture. A notable characteristics is that it was tied with a rope in a straight line during the drying process, there is a "vertical" line mark in the middle.
Yoshihama abalone is all about its taste, and its rich abalone flavor is also the most attractive part. In addition, it is very chewy because of its thick body.
Iwate Prefecture, the origin of yoshipin, was also the hardest hit area by Japan's 311 tsunami, so it is very rare now, and the price soars crazily.
The size ranges from 39-42 "head" to 19-20 "head", depends on the size, the prices range from US$ 1,100 to US$ 4,000 per kg.
Oma abalone
Oma abalone comes from Oma, Shimokita-gun, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It is a delicacy crafted by Japanese abalone expert Master Kumagaya. Oma abalone is the smallest type among the top three dried abalones. Oma abalone's body bears distinguishing small holes on both sides, which serve as a testament to its capture using hooks due to its preferred rocky habitat. The texture is the softest among the three top ranked of abalone. No worries about digesting abalone, unlike some other abalone which can cause stomach discomfort.
The size ranges from 65-70 "head" (again, it mean around 600 grams contain 65 to 70 pieces) to 28-30 "head", depends on the size, the prices range from US$ 1,700 to US$ 9,600 per kg.
Middle Eastern Abalone
Middle Eastern abalones are smaller and less attractive compared to Japanese abalones. Their quality is inferior to Japanese dry abalone, but they have a Oma abalone-like taste and are produced in limited quantities. As a result, their price falls within the mid-range category.
Farmed Yoshihama abalone
Most of the farmed Yoshihama abalone is raised in abalone farms in South Africa and then processed by Japanese masters. It is also smooth and has a candy center nature at around 70% of the original ones. The price is cheaper than wild ones and It is more common in the market.
South African abalone
South African dried abalone is mainly made from local South African abalone, which is a unique local species. South African dried abalone has many burrs on the edges and is large in size. Of course, the quality of South African abalone is relatively average, and the fragrance is not as fragrant as the above-mentioned varieties. However, because of its low price, it is quite popular. At the same time, South Africa produces a lot of abalone, so it is relatively easy to buy a large abalone.
Australian Black-edge abalone
Black-edge abalone is the main abalone in Australia. It is mainly concentrated in the reefs along the southern coast. It has a large shell shape with a black lip. The inner surface of the shell has an attractive colorful luster and a rich taste.
Australian Green-edge abalone
Green-edge abalone is also a top-quality abalone in Australia. It is large in size, thick in flesh, and has a cyan lip, which is also its biggest feature. Compared with the strong-flavored black-sided abalone, green-sided abalone has a smoother texture.
Mini dried abalone
Usually refers to China Dalian abalone, but not all shop will mention about the source.
Hydration preparation
Wash the abalone and soak for one to two days to allow the dried abalone hydrate and swell. Boil the abalone with ginger and green onion water for half an hour, bake for a few hours, and then press the abalone body to see if it is tender enough. If not, simmer for another half an hour and then bake.
How to store
Generally, it can be store in 0-8℃ refrigerator. In case you need to consume it for a longer period of time, It is better to seal and store in an ice box at -18℃ or below.
When dried abalone is stored for a period of time, a layer of white layer will appear on the surface. This is caused by the proteins in the abalone body coming out on the surface. Not only does it not damage the quality of the abalone, it is one of the important signs of high-quality abalone.