Take Advantage of Fresh Abalone for Sale Now at the Best Seafood Markets

Abalone is one of those seafood treats that everyone knows about, but many people never get around to trying. The large sea gastropod mollusk (AKA sea snail) was, not too long ago, close to extinction along the Pacific West Coast, a victim of overfishing and poor management. Even today, it’s impossible to find wild abalone for sale – in most states, it’s illegal to sell wild, diver caught abalone. There are, however, a number of West Coast fisheries that farm abalone, so you can legally buy live fresh abalone (usually California Red abalone) from local fish markets, or, if you’re not near the coast, from an online seafood market.

Taste

When it’s prepared properly, abalone has a firm, velvety texture and a sweet, delicate flavor similar to calamari. If abalone is overcooked or not properly tenderized, however, abalone meat gets tough and rubbery, with little flavor.

Preparation

Some seafood markets that sell seafood online offer live abalone for sale. Preparing them for cooking and eating may look complicated, but it’s a lot simpler than it appears to be at first. Essentially, you need to slide a hard, flat blade in between the two halves of the shell, slide it along the opening until you hit the muscle that’s attached to the shell. Work the blade (or spatula) between the shell and the muscle until the abalone detaches. From there, simply slide the abalone from the shell, cut away the viscera (the hanging guts) and scrub or cut away the black film around the sides of the meat. Cut off the tough, curled edges and the pointed end, and you’re ready to slice the abalone into thin steaks, pound it thin, bread it and fry it.

Buy Abalone Steaks Ready to Cook

Of course, if that sounds like way too much work, most seafood markets that offer abalone for sale also sell cleaned and sliced abalone steaks to make your life easier. With the cleaning done, all you have to do is cook them. You’ll find lots of recipes for abalone, but the hands-down favorite for most people is the simplest of all. Pound the abalone steaks thin, season with salt and pepper and coat with breadcrumbs, then fry – very quickly – and serve.

If abalone isn’t quite to your taste, you can also buy all sorts of other seafood online from the places that offer abalone for sale, especially this time of year. Look for fresh salmon, fresh albacore, live Dungeness crab and fresh swordfish, all ready to ship to you when you order from an online seafood market.