# Need help cooking fresh abalone



## Kristoff (Dec 5, 2016)

Hi all, 

It's abalone season now in Australia and I am fortunate enough to get quite a few every couple of weeks. I am used to canned and dried abalones but not the fresh stuff. I am having quite a fair bit of trouble to get it tender. I have tried almost all cooking techniques that I know. As well as using doing a fair bit of research online. Also the abalones are fresh frozen then I defrost them in cold water in the fridge.

Sous vide in braising liquid @ 85 Celsius 4 hours & @ 95 degrees 6 hours - tough
Braising in liquid on range low flame 3.5 hours - tough
Braising in liquid in oven @155 Celsius 5 hours - tough
Hot smoke 60 mins then braise in liquid in oven @150 Celsius 4 hours - not as tough but still not the tender able to cut with steak knife kinda tender
Steaming @ 75 degrees 6 hours, @ 90 degrees 3 hours - tough 
Brine in solution over night then braise still not tender


All the trial abalones are edible and OK after slicing them thin but I want to serve it as an abalone steak and the only time it's yummy and tender is when i ate it sashimi style... 

PS. I do not want to tenderise them via pounding. 

Any help or suggestion of any kind will be much appreciated. 

Thanks

C


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## LiLimoon (May 7, 2020)

I don't know if I'm right but maybe the problem is not in the techniques of cooking that you use but in the products. You know sometimes we really have to think about the quality of the tools that we are using to cook, it is not the problem always in us. So my advice to you is to try to buy a new oven or a new tray. You can find on this site cookwarestuffs.com some tips on how to choose the best one. Now I buy everything just with their help. I know that it sounds strange but the material that is made your tray really influences the taste. So my advice to you is to buy one made of stainless steel. Good luck!


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## Brian Weekley (May 25, 2020)

Back in the day abalone was plentiful on the West Coast of Canada. Now ... none to be found. My favourite way of cooking abalone. ... slice the abalone into 1/8” slices. Pound the bejeesus out of each slice with the pointy surfact of a meat tenderizing hammer. Slice the bigger slices into 1/2” strips. Quick fry in butter and garlic. 30 seconds to a minute on med high heat. When the strips start to curl they‘re done. DON’T overcook ... that’s what makes them tough.


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