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Musashi wrote:
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Ken Blake wrote:
wrote:

abalone (it's
kinda crunchy), which I never had before - I suppose you can only
get
it in California.


Nope. I've had awabi in several places--most recently at Azuma, in
Hartsdale
NY.

--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup


It must have been shipped in from overseas, probably frozen. I
believe
it is illegal to export fresh or frozen abalone from the west coast.
Correct me if I'm wrong.

So what did you think of it, Ken? It caught me by surprise. I
thought
is was a piece of I don't know what at first as it has a different
consistency from the fish. I'll like it better the next time when i
know what to expect.

There was another thing I had there - it tasted rather "fishy" as if
it
was not so fresh, but everything else there was shockingly fresh, so
it
must have been something different, but I don't know what, and I
didn't
ask.


Yes, Azuma in Hartsdale usually carry Awabi. So does Tsuru also in
Hartsdale.
While I appreciate abalone in cooked form, in both Japanese and Chinese
cuisines
as well as a "steak" form American style, I find abalone in sushi a bit
"too
tough" for my preference.
Good mirugai also has that texture which I appreciate.
I see nothing indicating it is illergal to ship abalone, either live or
frozen accross
the United States.
In fact here is an abalone farm that does just that.
http://www.abalonefarm.com/live.htm

M


Hi, Musashi -

OK, it must be farmed abalone...

I found this:

"Abalone is so tightly protected that it can legally be caught only by
sport fishermen north of San Francisco Bay and only if the fishermen
are free-diving, without breathing equipment. Anything else is illegal.
And yet, abalone appears on the Monterey Bay Aquarium's list of "best
choice" seafood. But only in its farmed form, of course, and that quite
likely means that it comes from the Abalone Farm, which accounts for
more than half of the fresh abalone eaten in this country.


Ahh yes that's right there are tight restrictions on taking abalone in
California.
Permit holders must free dive (snorkel) and they often use short little surf
boards
connected by a rope to their ankles to use as a "base" and to put their
abalone they
pick up. When I was scuba diving off the Channel Islands I was warned not to
pick
up any abalone. of which I saw many. I did however spear California
Sheepshead
which became sashimi that night.

One thing I have noticed is that the American "farmed" abalone is usually
much
larger than the ones I've seen being sold live in fish stores in Japan.
Maybe a different
species.

M