For over 1000 years, various cultures use Abalone as a functional food because it is known to provide many health benefits.
Research also shows that Abalone contains vital moieties like proteins, fatty acids, and polysaccharides that are way beyond essential nutrition.
Abalone is a luxurious dish that is considered one of the most sought-after delicacies most people love.
However, if you haven’t tried Abalone, you must be wondering:
What does abalone taste like? Let’s find out together below.
What Is Abalone?
Essentially, Abalone is a snail. It is a gastropod mollusk that has a shell only on one side.
The other side of the body attaches to a rocky surface and feeds off algae.
Abalone’s nickname “ear shell” comes from its resemblance to the human ear, and people often view it as the most valuable shellfish in the world.
All the nutritious value comes from Abalone’s meat. It has a beautiful blue tough, polished shell that firmly holds on to the rock surface.
So strong that it can get quite tricky and requires skill and time to remove the Abalone.
This reason, together with its high demand and overfishing, has led to low stocks and overpricing.
However, the good news is that the farming of Abalone is rapidly on the rise globally.
Hopefully, in the coming years, we can soon enjoy more of this fineness of the Abalone at a much more reasonable price.
What Does Abalone Taste Like? Does Abalone Taste Good?
For those of you wondering what Abalone tastes like, you’re in for a surprise.
The Abalone is so delicious and unique that once you try it, you will never forget its taste.
Food Republic mentions that Abalone has a salty and buttery flavor. It has a chewy texture, somewhat like a calamari steak.
To be more precise, its texture is right between a squid and scallop and has a conch like crunchiness with a sensation almost the death of a jellyfish.
According to Ocean Road, the taste of the Abalone slightly differs depending on how they are grown.
Abalone grown in the ocean has a strong sea flavor, and a farmed Abalone tends to have a softer taste.
Nutritive Value of Abalone
Abalones are not only rare, unique flavored but have plenty of health benefits as well.
Abalone is rich in protein, iodine, and selenium. It also offers some omega-3.
– Protein – For a 100 g of Abalone, it gives 17.1 g of protein. It also has low calories, with just 105 cal per hundred grams of Abalone.
– Iodine – One immense health benefit of Abalone is its rich contains iodine. This mineral is essential to help boost the functioning of the thyroid gland. An average Abalone provides about 95 mg of bioavailable iodine.
– Omega-3 – Abalone provides a decent amount of omega-3, a required fatty acid with anti-inflammatory properties. For a 100 g of Abalone, it offers 49 mg of DHA and EPA omega-3.
– Selenium – Abalone is an excellent source of selenium. This mineral is highly essential to help boost our immune system. For a 100 g of Abalone, it gives 44.8 mg of selenium, which covers 64% of the daily selenium value we should consume.
How To Cook Abalone
You can cook Abalone in so many ways. It comes in dried and fresh form, and accordingly, there are different preparing methods.
You can have them fried, steamed, grilled, and also cook it in a hot pot. You can even have them live as sashimi and sushi.
But according to Thespruceeats, the best and easiest way to prepare Abalone is to have it simply pan-fried.
This simple recipe will allow you to appreciate the unique taste and exciting flavor of Abalone even more.
One thing to remember is that fresh Abalone should be pounded and tenderized before cooking.
Because if you don’t do so, your Abalone will turn out tough and chewy.
So to pan-fry your Abalone, you will need the following ingredients.
- 1 or 2 Abalone
- 1 cup of flour
- 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- 2 tablespoons of butter
Firstly, remove the Abalone from its shell and scrub it clean, cutting off all the rubbery lip and icky black stuff around the edge of the Abalone.
Then thinly slice it and pound the slices. Remember that it is better to give a lot of gentle taps than to hit it heavily.
Then have all the ingredients mixed in a large bowl, and dredge your Abalone slices in the mixture and lay them on a platter.
Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium to high heat. Once the butter melts, place your Abalone slices in the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Flip the slices and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. And there you have it. Your simple pan-fry Abalone is ready.
Conclusion
Abalone is a nutritious, unique tasting shellfish many people enjoy.
It being a rich source of iodine is what makes it particularly useful because research shows that about 1.8 billion people in the world are believed to have inadequate consumption of iodine.
Although it is on the pricier side compared to other options, its unique and delicious taste makes it totally worth it.
And above all, Abalone is quite simple to cook.
So if you haven’t tried this shellfish, you should definitely try it out with this simple pan-fry recipe and experience it for yourself.
What Does Abalone Taste Like? Does Abalone Taste Good?
Ingredients
- Abalone
- Ingredients from your favorite recipes
Instructions
- Depending on the recipes you choose, the taste can vastly differ.
- For authentic results, it is important to choose a recipe that will highlight the original flavor.
- Have fun experimenting with different recipes and taste tests!
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