Courtesy Aubergine, Carmel
Live Monterey Bay red abalone (1 per person)
4 cups dashi stock
11⁄2 tablespoons bonito flakes
8 ounces unsalted butter
1 ripe avocado
10 sheets nori seaweed
3 large shallots
1 small garlic clove
1⁄4 cup leeks, minced
Fresh lemon juice Fresh lime juice
3⁄4 cup neutral-flavored oil
Sea salt
Electric smoker Tenderizing mallet Sauté pan Stick blender
Abalone To prepare the live abalone, rinse it quickly under cold water. Working over a tray on ice, gently slide a flat spoon or butter knife along the front inside portion of the abalone shell. Wiggle it back and forth to separate the abalone from its shell. Reserve the liquid for seasoning the sauce later. Wash the shell and reserve for presenting the final dish. Once the abalone is free from the shell, remove the mouth by pulling it gently. Rinse the abalone again under cold water to ensure all unwanted debris is gone. Next, with the abalone between two cloths to prevent slipping and using a mallet, gently tenderize both sides of it by hitting it 10–15 times. Once tenderized, keep the abalone on ice and let rest at least 4 hours before cooking.
Smoked Avocado Split a ripe avocado down the middle with a knife and remove the stone. Peel away the skin, leaving the avocado halves intact. Place the avocado into a smoker and cold smoke for 15 minutes. Wrap avocado with plastic and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Smoked Butter Dice 8 ounces of unsalted butter into small cubes then place on a chilled tray. Cold smoke butter for 5 minutes then reserve chilled until needed.
Smoked Butter Sauce Put 4 cups of dashi stock and the dried bonito flakes in a pot. Reduce the stock by half. Strain it. Blend the smoked butter into it. Season it with salt and a little lemon juice. Keep sauce covered and warm until ready to serve.
Seaweed Over a flame, lightly toast 10 sheets of packaged nori sea- weed. Crush the toasted nori into the smallest pieces possible. In a pot, warm 3⁄4 cup oil then add shallots, garlic and leeks. Let this mixture gently simmer until the vegetables are tender. Add the toasted nori to the oil and vegetables. Let them cook together for about 30 minutes. Strain most of the oil out, leaving a thick, pasty spread. Season the spread with salt and lime juice. Keep warm until ready to serve.
To prepare the final dish, warm a sauté pan and add a small spoon of butter. Once the butter is lightly brown and nutty, add the prepared abalone. Quickly cook the abalone over medium-high heat until lightly caramelized. Turn abalone over and do the same on the reverse side. This should take no more than 4 minutes. While the abalone is cooking, place a thin layer of the nori seaweed paste on the bottom of the clean abalone shell. Add a couple of slices of the warm smoked avocado.
Remove abalone from the pan and season with sea salt and citrus zest. Place the abalone on the shell. Finally, season the smoked butter sauce with some of the reserved abalone juice. Check your seasoning. Then agitate the surface of the sauce with a stick blender to create a frothy emulsion. Spoon the emulsion over the abalone. Garnish with herbs or flowers if you like. Serve immediately.
About the author
At Edible Monterey Bay, our mission is to celebrate the local food culture of Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties, season by season. We believe in sustainability, and we believe everyone has a right to healthful, clean and affordable food. We think knowing where our food comes from is powerful, and we hope our magazine, website and newsletters inspire readers to get to know and support our local growers, fishers, chefs, vintners and food artisans.
