What is a Paua/Abalone?
Abalone (Paua) is a unique and highly valued shellfish.
A large sea snail known as Paua in New Zealand and Ormer shells in England.
They have a striking blue, green, and purple shell often used for jewellery.
Paua meat is a true delicacy with a unique taste and texture unlike any other seafood. The meat is rich with a perfect balance of sweet and salty. The texture is firm and often described as similar to calamari.
Paua/Abalone hunting
In New Zealand Paua can only be taken while free diving or collected from the rocky sea shore, no scuba is allowed. There is also a daily catch limit and size limit for your harvest.
Do research beforehand and learn the rules and catch limit for your area. Be sure to only harvest legal species and limits.
Here you can find New Zealand fishing rules including catch limits of different spices.
How to prepare Abalone (Paua).
First you want to tenderize the paua meat
How to tenderize abalone?
The way I like to prepare and eat my paua abalone is to relax the shellfish in the fridge in the shell for at least one night. Then I just scoop the paua meat out, remove the guts and its ready to prepare my paua seafood recipes.
Just by relaxing the shellfish overnight is enough to tenderize it.
Some people prefer to bash the meat to tenderize it and would never prepare it without doing so. I guess it’s a personal preference.
Both ways are nice but I really prefer the texture of paua when it hasn’t been bashed as it tends to lose all its texture and go too soft.
If I want to eat it the same day and don’t have time to relax the meat overnight, then I put the Paua unchucked in a pot of water and boil them for 1 minute then cool.
Once cooled I just scoop the meat out of the shell and prepare my meal. This method is enough to tenderize it and gives it a similar texture as if it was left overnight.
How to serve Paua in garlic white wine and cherry tomatoes
Paua or abalone, pairs perfectly with garlic, white wine and cherry tomatoes.
Slices of Paua is quickly sauteed on high heat. Wine, garlic and slightly cooked cherry tomatoes together with olive oil makes a delicious paua sauce. This paua pasta is a great dish to enjoy this delicate seafood.
Serve the Sauted Paua in garlic white wine and cherry tomatoes with spaghetti or rice and fresh vegetables from the garden.
This paua pasta recipe is healthy, easy to make and taste delicious!
It’s a delicious treat eating and cooking fresh abalone also known as paua. Epecially when I caught it myself.
Harvest your own shellfish is fun, healthy and an excellent food source.
Tasty, sustainable, organic, easy to cook and very good for you!
Read my seafood harvest guide here where I explain how to find, harvest, cook and serve wild paua shellfish as well as mussels and clams from the beach and rocky sea shores.
Other recipes using wild self harvested seafood that you might like:
Clam fritters with ranch dressing
Wild mussels in curry, coconut sauce
A good quality cast iron frying pan or wok is essential for this dish
Other articles you might enjoy to read
Sauted Paua in garlic white wine and cherry tomatoes
This sliced paua recipe with white wine, garlic and spaghetti is perfect for any occasion. The addition of sweet cherry tomatoes finishes the dish of nicely.
It's quick and easy to make and taste amazing!
Ingredients
Pan seared abalone/paua in garlic white wine sauce
Instructions
pan fried paua in garlic white wine and cherry tomatoes
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Paua cooked in garlic, white wine and cherry tomatoes
- Sauté the paua quickly in a hot frying pan. Season, add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Set aside.
- De glaze the pan with wine and cook down until until reduced by half
- add the tomatoes and cook until soft.
- Add the butter and parsley cook until all combined.
- Add the cooked Paua to the sauce.
- Serve with spaghetti or rice and vegetables from the garden.
- Drizzle generously with olive oil on top before serving.
Note
You might also like to visit my page fishing for food
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