Eyrewoolf Abalone

Growing up, our family holidays at Rotto were all about those secret abalone spots we’d guard like treasure – places only we knew where the black lips clung to the limestone ledges. I can still remember the thrill of free diving down, carefully prying them from the rocks, then racing back to our camp at Tree Tops with our precious haul. We kept things simple back then: a quick sauté over the camp barbecue or sometimes over a driftwood fire down at Strickland Bay, alongside freshly caught crayfish. The abalone was so fresh it barely needed anything – just heat, butter, and time. Dad’s Japanese bosses taught us their way with raw seafood – paper-thin sashimi-style abalone, fresh crayfish, Dhufish straight from the boat, and skipjack. My appreciation for raw seafood started early in life thanks to their patient teaching. This recipe honours those memories whilst elevating the dish with native herbs that would have grown wild around our driftwood fire. Sometimes the best food comes from the simplest moments.

~ Geoff Staples @ancientgrains63

Serves: 4  |  Preparation time: 20 minutes  |  Cooking time: 10-20 seconds

Ingredients

4 Large Eyrewoolf Greenlip abalone, cleaned and tenderised

2-3 finger limes, halved

4g Native Pepperberries, coarsely ground

2g Dried Saltbush leaves, crumbled

1g Lemon Myrtle, fine ground

3 cloves of garlic, minced

45ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil

30g unsalted butter

2-3g Sea salt flakes, to taste

Verjuice & Native Herb Sauce (Optional)

125ml Verjuice

80ml Homemade or shop bought fish stock

1 shallot, finely diced

1g Lemon Myrtle

30g cold unsalted Butter, cubed

Juice from one finger lime

1-2g Sea Salt flakes

Method

1. Prep the abalone: Slice each abalone into medallions about 2-3mm thick. Give them a gentle bash with a meat mallet to tenderise further if needed. Pat dry with paper towel.
2. Season: Rub the abalone medallions with minced garlic, pepperberry, saltbush, and lemon myrtle. Let them rest for 15 minutes at room temperature.
3. Heat your teppanyaki plate or a heavy-based frying pan: Set your induction or gas stovetop to a medium-high heat. The surface should be hot but not smoking.
4. Add the olive oil to the teppanyaki plate. When it’s shimmering, add the seasoned abalone medallions. Cook for 10-20 seconds per side just until the sides curl – no longer, as abalone goes tough as old boots when overcooked.
5. Finish: Add butter to the plate and squeeze finger lime caviar over the abalone. Give it a gentle toss and remove immediately.

Verjuice & Native Herb Sauce

Method

1. After cooking the abalone, remove and keep warm
2. Add shallots to the teppanyaki plate, sauté until translucent
3. Add garlic, cook for 30 seconds
4. Deglaze with verjuice, scraping up any caramelised bits
5. Add fish stock and native herbs, reduce by half (about 3-4 minutes)
6. Remove from heat, whisk in cold butter piece by piece
7. Finish with finger lime juice and season to taste
8. Strain if desired for a silky finish

Alternative: Simple Native Herb Butter

1. 100gm unsalted butter, softened
2. 1gm lemon myrtle
3. 1gm native thyme
4. 5gm wattleseed, finely ground
5. Juice of 1 finger lime or lime
6. Pinch of sea salt

Method

1. Whisk all ingredients together. Serve a dollop alongside the warm abalone

Suggested Side Dishes

Roasted Native Vegetables

• Baby potatoes tossed with native thyme and olive oil
• Roasted pumpkin with pepperberry and macadamia oil
• Steamed samphire (sea beans) with lemon myrtle butter

Fresh Salads

• Wild rocket and warrigal greens salad with finger lime vinaigrette
• Roasted beetroot with native mint and goat’s cheese
• Cucumber and saltbush leaf salad

Grains and Starches

• Quinoa pilaf with toasted wattleseed and pine nuts
• Damper bread with native herb butter
• Wild rice with dried native currents and almonds

Notes

1. The key to perfect abalone is quick, high-heat cooking – think of it like a scallop or calamari
2. A teppanyaki plate is ideal as it provides even heat distribution
3. Don’t skip the tenderising step – it makes all the difference
4. 4 Greenlip for a main or serve on a platter as a share plate for 6 people
5. If you can’t find specific bush herbs, substitute with: lemon thyme for lemon myrtle, regular thyme for native thyme, and cracked black pepper for pepperberry

Fridge Friendly Instructions: Cooked abalone keeps for 1-2 days.

Freezer Friendly Instructions: Not recommended.

Nutrition Facts – 4 servings

Amount Per Serving | Calories – 265 or Kilojoules – 1,109 | Total fat 18gm, Saturated fat – 6gm, Monounsaturated fat – 9gm, Polyunsaturated fat – 1gm, Trans fat 0gm | Cholesterol – 191mg | Sodium – 691mg | Potassium – 362mg | Total Carbohydrate – 4gm, Dietary Fibre 1 gm, Sugars 1gm | Protein 23gm | Vitamin A 4%| Vitamin C 1% | Calcium 3%| Iron 20%.

*The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie / 8370 Kilojoule diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie/kilojoule needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated.