Seafood

Stir Fried New Zealand Live Paua (Abalone)

Ingredients

1 Black Foot Paua or 2 Yellow Foot Paua, about 500 grammes

2 thin slices of ginger

1 spring onion

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

A pinch of sea salt

Method

      1.   Suck the meat out by forcing a small knife into the gap at the shallow end of the paua. Work your           knife into the centre of the paua and detach the muscle from the shell. Once it is detached, pull the meat from the deep end of the shell, the meat should come out clean leaving the pouch and the    trimming in the shell. If not, cut the soft stomach pouch and the trimmings off.

      2.   Use a tooth brush to clean the paua thoroughly, scrub the edge of the paua and try to remove as much pigment as possible from all over the paua. Cut off the “mouth” of the paua at the thicker end of the meat.

      3.   With a very sharp knife, cut the paua into paper thin slices. Cut each slices of ginger into 3 strips and the spring onion into 4 cm sections

4.   Put the oil in the wok.  When the oil is very hot, put in the ginger and the white sections of the spring   onion and stir fry for a few seconds.  Make sure the oil is still very hot, put in the paua slices and stir fry them for a few seconds, When the paua slices just start to curl, add a pinch of seas salt and the green part of the spring onion and give a few brisk stir.

5.   Serve the paua immediately but make sure you do not serve all the oil with the paua.

Hints-

      1.   The stomach pouch and the trimmings could be used for paua patties or paua stock.

2.   Cut the paua with special care, the knife should be very sharp and the paua could be very slippery. It will be difficult to achieve paper thin slices towards the end, but make sure all pieces are in very similar size.

3.   The oil must be very hot and the amount used is higher than any usual stir fry.  This is the way to        make the paua tender. Make sure you take the paua out with slotted spoon so that you do not serve them with excess oil.

4.   The action of stir frying should be brisk and the time that takes should be just a few seconds.Depends on the amount of paua you cook at one time and how high the heat is, 4 to 5 seconds max is recommended.

5.   Do not over cook the paua slices, they will turn rubbery even if they are slightly overcooked.  You    must eat them immediately while hot, they will also turn rubbery when they cool down.