Abalone Cleaning Instructions:
- Hold the abalone in your hand with the foot facing you, and locate the head.
- Gently slip a tablespoon (or soup spoon) between the head and the shell, moving it towards the left. Apply pressure to the spoon’s end, which should rest against the base of the abalone’s foot where the meat attaches to the shell.
- Increase the pressure until you feel the meat “give” as it is released from the shell.
- Carefully lift the abalone foot out of the shell and remove the guts from the shell.
- Using scissors or a knife, cut along the top edge of the foot to remove the guts. Follow the circular line where the foot attaches to the shell. Discard both the guts and the shell.
- Snip or cut behind the head downwards to remove the hard cartilage at the mouth.
- Rinse the abalone under running water, removing any remaining bits of shell or debris.
- (Optional) To relax the meat and make cleaning easier, apply pressure to the foot or mix coarse salt with the meat. Leave it for 1-2 hours.
- Use a small brush to clean the frill and the underside of the foot, removing the black epithelial layer.
- Rinse again and cook according to your recipe.
Enjoy!