Abalone Tips

[mweitz]

Good tips Justin. You can also just cut pieces off and eat them raw I think.

Exactly what parts of the ab are edible? Can you eat the meat all the way back to the shell?

I have LOTS of bits and pieces in the freezer. Anyone have a good chowder recipe or other good idea for what to do with them?

Thanks,

Mark

 

[JustinW]

I've never tried it, but here is a chowder recipe
http://www.freediver.net/freedivelist/recipes/mollusks/AbaloneChowder.html

I hvae heard that in asia they eat the gonads and assorted entrails, but I just cant' get past that. When pounding them into steaks, most people do whatever they can to make sure all of the black is gone. But like i said, the black has more concentrated flavor, so on occasion i leave some on, but remember its much stronger flavor.

 

[mweitz]

Thanks, I'll report back on the Chowder.

Mark

 

[Ishie]

Whee!!!! Lots of fun getting abs, and being on a zodiac to do it is definitely the way!!! Couldn't believe how many of them there were!!!

Had trouble with the ab iron though. While not killing the critters, I couldn't manage the "slip under and pop" method so ended up poking them (non-fatally) in the face with it. The only way I could get them was to pop them by hand.

So now I have three abs and a pretty good idea how to prepare them. Throwing out a question though.

Two abs is more than enough for me. My dad lives in NC completely without access to abalone, and used to absolutely LOVE the stuff. He was thrilled when I told him I was getting some, and I'd like to surprise him by sending him an abalone (in the shell).

Best method? Overnight mail is a given, but can dry ice be used as long as the abs are double freezer bagged or does anyone have a better method? If not, packing, shipping, etc tips? The one I'm sending him would already be frozen, thus not alive.

Also, this is legal, right? No money is being exchanged, the ab is a legal size and being shipped in its shell from someone who is not in possession of more than three abalone to someone who is not in possession of any abalone.

Thanks!

 

[CalDiver101]

If you absolutely, positively want to follow all rules and regs, call the DFG. I have spoken with their wardens who have been friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Your first question other than reg legality is about shipping. Check with your shipper for their policy. I have shipped fresh produce in the past that required dry ice without a problem but I had to bring the product and ice separately so they could physically see what and how it was being packed. In my first try for shipping, I boxed it all and upon delivery I learned they had opened it for "security" and repacked it incorrectly causing most of the produce to be useless. 2nd, I don't know about interstate transport of abalone, check with shipper, but according to DFG via a phone call, it is allowable to "gift" somebody an abalone so that should not be a problem. You can get into semantics if you do not "gift" as the person receiving could technically have to have a California fishing license, ab card, for out of state residence, etc. It is up to you of how "technical' you wish to be, I have always followed the shippers advice for packing, as explained above. Ab's are good enough for the hassles so ship away.

Whee!!!! Lots of fun getting abs, and being on a zodiac to do it is definitely the way!!! Couldn't believe how many of them there were!!!

Had trouble with the ab iron though. While not killing the critters, I couldn't manage the "slip under and pop" method so ended up poking them (non-fatally) in the face with it. The only way I could get them was to pop them by hand.

So now I have three abs and a pretty good idea how to prepare them. Throwing out a question though.

Two abs is more than enough for me. My dad lives in NC completely without access to abalone, and used to absolutely LOVE the stuff. He was thrilled when I told him I was getting some, and I'd like to surprise him by sending him an abalone (in the shell).

Best method? Overnight mail is a given, but can dry ice be used as long as the abs are double freezer bagged or does anyone have a better method? If not, packing, shipping, etc tips? The one I'm sending him would already be frozen, thus not alive.

Also, this is legal, right? No money is being exchanged, the ab is a legal size and being shipped in its shell from someone who is not in possession of more than three abalone to someone who is not in possession of any abalone.

Thanks!

 

[Ishie]

If you absolutely, positively want to follow all rules and regs, call the DFG. I have spoken with their wardens who have been friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Your first question other than reg legality is about shipping. Check with your shipper for their policy. I have shipped fresh produce in the past that required dry ice without a problem but I had to bring the product and ice separately so they could physically see what and how it was being packed. In my first try for shipping, I boxed it all and upon delivery I learned they had opened it for "security" and repacked it incorrectly causing most of the produce to be useless. 2nd, I don't know about interstate transport of abalone, check with shipper, but according to DFG via a phone call, it is allowable to "gift" somebody an abalone so that should not be a problem. You can get into semantics if you do not "gift" as the person receiving could technically have to have a California fishing license, ab card, for out of state residence, etc. It is up to you of how "technical' you wish to be, I have always followed the shippers advice for packing, as explained above. Ab's are good enough for the hassles so ship away.

Thanks! I've checked with UPS for the shipping, and it looks like dry ice is okay, but if there's over 5 lbs of it, they need to do a hazardous materials scan or something. The question I was asking regarding the dry ice though is whether or not it would negatively affect the abalone more than regular freezing. Don't want to go through all the hassles and then have the abalone arrive so freezer burned that it tastes like microwave squid. I worry about regular ice because I don't want it to melt all over the place, and I'm not sure how good the chemical freeze packs (like in 1st aid kits, but used for food and drinks) are at keeping things freezer temperature.

It is gifted, and I'm pretty sure you only have to have an ab card to take abs, not to possess them, since on the two day ab trip, even someone's two-year-old went home with three abs . Due to legalities though, the dog, sadly, went home empty-pawed.

Appreciate the advice!

 

[Drewpy]

Ishie-check the regulations..I think to be in possesion you have to be the one who pulled them! They are not transferable..?
I could be wrong, Ill have to find the regs, but be careful this can be a huge fine!

e.g If we go diving together and you pull three and I cant find any.... you cannot continue to dive and "gift" me my three.

 

[Ishie]

Ishie-check the regulations..I think to be in possesion you have to be the one who pulled them! They are not transferable..?
I could be wrong, Ill have to find the regs, but be careful this can be a huge fine!

e.g If we go diving together and you pull three and I cant find any.... you cannot continue to dive and "gift" me my three.

I'm pretty sure you can gift them. You just can't trade or sell them. My concern with legality was more putting such a controlled species through the mail system, though I appreciate the concern, and I'm checking into it more closely. Big fines are worth using precaution.

If we go diving together and I pull three, I can legally gift you your three. What I cannot do is then continue to dive that day, since the regulations state only three legal-sized abs can be taken per license per day, with "taken" meaning removed from the rock (as a precaution against 'trading up', once a legal ab has been taken off a rock, whether you keep it or return it exactly as you found it, it counts as one and must be marked as such). If you gifted the abs I gifted you (so you were not in possession of three) or you ate one, you could continue to dive, since you had not taken any, but I'm out for the day no matter what I do with those three abs.

So if you have a one day license and I have a two day or year license, day one I can gift you my three abs and then I am done diving. On day two, I can hunt three more. If I kept the abs I had on day one, I could not possess my daily limit on day two, because that would put me in possession of six abalone at one time, which is illegal.

I forget what website it was, but it did a great job of explaining it. If you have one license and three people in the car and have been gone for two days, you can have six abs in the car. Nine means you pulled more than your daily limit. If you have one license, one person in the car, and have been gone for three days, you can have three abs in the car. Actually, you can possess the abs with no license in the car, but had better be really ready to explain to the game warden how you obtained them.

What I'm really questioning is that since I know there are specific regulations that specifically apply to the mail, and since the regulations on abalone are so tight, though I'm pretty certain it is legal to gift an ab to my dad provided he is not in possession of more than two, and no money or goods are changing hands, but I'm not sure the legalities involved in getting my ab from California to North Carolina or if it's like shipping any other food item?

 

[BrianM]

I wonder if they would even know what an abalone is in North Carolina???? Maybe just tell them "it's a big 'ol snail that come out the ocean!!!" haha

Last year I heard about the "gifting" loophole so I wrote to the DFG guy who handles the abalone regs and he said it was perfectly fine to give your abalone away but you might want to include a note along with the gifted abs which states your license and report card number in case the person gets stopped at a checkpoint.

Also, I have heard giving abs to a 2 year old doesn't qualify in the eyes of the judge!!!

 

[Ishie]

I wonder if they would even know what an abalone is in North Carolina???? Maybe just tell them "it's a big 'ol snail that come out the ocean!!!" haha

Last year I heard about the "gifting" loophole so I wrote to the DFG guy who handles the abalone regs and he said it was perfectly fine to give your abalone away but you might want to include a note along with the gifted abs which states your license and report card number in case the person gets stopped at a checkpoint.

Also, I have heard giving abs to a 2 year old doesn't qualify in the eyes of the judge!!!

I strongly suspect (from my own five years in Charlotte) that a vast number of people in NC do not know what an abalone is, thus my father's distress at being a displaced Californian, though I've sent him artichoke care packages before, particularly since abalone is darn near impossible to obtain even in CA if you don't get em yourself. He used to love them (though my mom was the real champion at getting them) and probably hasn't had a taste of them in twenty years. When he heard I was going, I could hear him salivating at the thought of the slimey critters.

That's a really good idea with including the license and report card number. I think I'll think I'll throw that in with the package just in case it is opened and there's any question of illegal trafficking (or of abalone being weapons of mass consumption).

Of course, the problem with telling NC folk (and no offense to any if you're able to read this (VEG) ) that abbalonys are giant water snails is then convincing them that putting them in a stew is not brewing a witch's potion nor does it make you a frenchie.

Oh, and when I was two, my favorite food was scampi, so it is too much above and beyond by spoiling a kid with abalone? She has to pound it herself though...